X-Press Pearl: Ship carrying oil and chemicals poses a serious environmental risk if it sinks
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X-Press Pearl: Sinking ship serious environmental risk
A ship carrying chemicals and oil is at risk of sinking in the Indian Ocean, and could cause a massive environmental disaster.
The ship called the X-Press Pearl caught on fire two weeks ago off the coast of Sri Lanka, and the blaze has only recently been put out.
The ship was transporting hundreds of tonnes of oil, as well as 25 tonnes of nitric acid - which is very harmful, and is used to make things like fertilisers and explosives - as well as other chemicals and cosmetics.
The damage from the fire has meant that the ship has started to sink, and if it does, the harmful chemicals on board will sink with it into the ocean.
The Sri Lankan and Indian navies have been working together in an attempt to put out the fire and stop the ship from breaking up and sinking.
"The ship is sinking. Salvers are trying to tow the ship to deep sea before it sinks to minimise the marine pollution but the rear area of the ship has drifted," said Sri Lanka Navy spokesman Captain Indika Silva.
Oil spillages are often very bad for the environment. They can cause harm to wildlife for years after they have happened and tend to be very difficult to clean up.
The process for cleaning up oil spills can cause as much damage as the original spillage.
Environmentalist Dr Ajantha Perera said that the sinking ship posed "the worst environmental scenario".
Pictures of the ship from Wednesday show it sinking into the sea
"With all the dangerous goods, the nitric acid and all these other things, and the oil in the ship, if it's sinking it will basically destroy the whole bottom of the sea," said environmentalist Dr Ajantha Perera.
The Sri Lankan city of Negombo is home to some of the worlds cleanest and well-cared for beaches, and people have already noticed oil and debris washing ashore there.
Sri Lankan officials think the fire was caused by a nitric acid leak which the crew became aware of on 11 May.
The ship caught on fire two weeks ago
The company that owns the ship confirmed the crew had been aware of the leak, but said they were denied permission by both Qatar and India to leave the ship there before the fire broke out.
The fact that Sri Lanka allowed the vessel to enter its waters after it was rejected by two other nations has led to widespread public anger.
Officials have now lodged a formal police complaint against the captain of the ship, who was rescued along with other crew members last week.
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