Abandoned vessel sinks In Sri Lanka
A Cyprus flagged vessel which remained in Sri Lankan waters since 2009 following a court order which prevented it from leaving sank on Thursday, raising concerns of environmental impact, Bernama reports.
MV Thermopylae Sierra sank at sea close to the shores of Panadura just outside the capital, as the court case over the vessel continued in Sri Lanka.
Xinhua news agency reports the 155-metre long and 127-metre wide ship was detained in Sri Lanka on a court order after a dispute involving the cargo and its crew.
Engineers were kept on board the vessel but they withdrew, saying they had not been given food or other basic facilities.
The condition of the ship began deteriorating as it remained at sea without being maintained and subsequently it began taking in water.
Engineers onboard the ship had warned that some of the cargo still on the ship could harm marine life in the area.
However, the Sri Lankan Marine Environment Protection Authority said that most of the oil from the ship had been removed before the vessel sank so they did not expect a major environmental impact.
"There was some 350 tonnes of oil on the ship but most of it was removed and now there is less than 75 tonnes on board. A contingency plan is now underway to face whatever environmental impact even that little oil may cause once it begins to surface," said Jagath Gunasekera of the marine authority.
However, he said that based on wind conditions the oil may drift to other locations so measures need to be taken to address the issue.