Sri Lanka braces for beach pollution as ship burns

The X-Press Pearl has been blazing out of control for a week and with heavy winds battering the Singapore-registered vessel, authorities fear a new oil disaster on Sri Lanka's beaches.  

The Indian coastguard ships have joined a Sri Lankan navy ship and four private tugs spraying water on the X-Press Pearl, which has 25 tonnes of nitric acid in its cargo.

A military helicopter was deployed to drop bags of fire retardant chemicals on the ship Wednesday.

But the fire has weakened the 186-metre (610-foot) long vessel and it could break up and spill oil, according to Sri Lanka's Marine Environment Protection Authority (MEPA).

"The fire is covering the length of the vessel. The hull may not be stable for us to tow the ship away from our waters," MEPA chairman Dharshani Lahandapura told AFP.

The vessel, anchored outside Colombo harbour, is carrying 278 tonnes of bunker oil and 50 tonnes of marine gasoil, she added.

The fire is believed to have started in a container of nitric acid and rapidly spread, Lahandapura said.

Authorities are investigating reports that the crew had known about nitric acid leaks before entering Sri Lankan waters.

Authorities have played down the risk from the acid as it is neutralised by sea water.

But Lahandapura said a large quantity of oil could reach the tourist and fishing region of Negombo, 40 kilometres (25 miles) north of the capital.

The military would be deployed to clean Negombo beach if needed, the official added.

The ship was on its way to Colombo from India's Gujarat state carrying nearly 1,500 containers. The vessel is anchored 14 kilometres (7.5 nautical miles) offshore and can be seen from Negombo.

Residents who scavenged plastic raw materials that washed ashore on Wednesday were barred from entering the beach Thursday as the military deployed.