Can SL Stop Marine Disaster Going From Bad To Worse?

SL is not even a party to the HNS Convention (1996), SL should be clear in communicating how safe its waters are, There are lot of unknowns about burnt debris, Original conditions should be studied

- Kamanthi Wickramasinghe

Burnt debris from the controversial X-Press Pearl vessel has been carried away to shores as far as Galle, Kalpitiya and Chilaw. Even though the fire has largely been controlled the impact from the damage is huge. Tri forces personnel are continuing to clean the shores amidst uncertain conditions. Marine experts warn that marine animals could mistakenly feed on polypropylene granules also known as nurdles that have been deposited on the shores. As Sri Lanka is witnessing an irreversible maritime hazard in recent history, a country located along a frequently used maritime route may need to prepare itself with better resources and technology to respond to similar or worse accidents in the future.

SL HASN’T SIGNED ANY INTERNATIONAL TREATY TO CLAIM HNS DAMAGES: CEJ

The Centre for Environmental Justice (CEJ)is in the process of filing a public interest litigation against the company that owns X-Press Pearl. “This may involve certain government officials as well,” opined CEJ Chairman, Attorney-at-Law Ravindranath Dabare. “According to the Marine Pollution Prevention Act No. 35 of 2008, a civil suit can be filed under Section 35 and criminal action could be filed as per Section 26. We had a bitter experience with MT New Diamond as we claimed compensation based on the Polluter Pays Principle.” said Dabare.

In order to execute Section 34 there are certain limitations mentioned in Section 35, but none of the regulations have been laid out by the Minister

CEJ Chairman, Attorney-at-Law Ravindranath Dabare