COLOMBO — Three Indian vessels on Thursday joined the battle to contain a major fire on a container ship off the Sri Lanka coast amid fears that it could break up and spew out hundreds of tonnes of oil.
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 wea…
Keep on reading: Sri Lanka braces for beach pollution as ship burns