on Friday. The group described the legal challenge, which seeks unspecified damages, on social media as a way to"protect the rights of all sectors of our motherland, including the environment." CEJ also called the chemical spill from the accident"the worst marine disaster" in the country's history.
Smoke billows from the Singapore-registered container ship MV X-Press Pearl as it's towed away from the coast of Colombo on June 2, 2021.The MV X-Press Pearl caught fire on May 20 with authorities giving the preliminary theory that the fire was caused by a nitric acid leak. Agence France-Presse reported afterward that Sri Lankan authorities launched a criminal investigation to the cause of the fire, which burned for 13 days before being extinguished.
The CEJ criticized the government for what it termed as inaction"against the concepts and principles of environmental law." A hearing date has yet to be assigned. CEJ claimed the crew knew of an acid leak on May 11, days before the ship came into Sri Lankan waters. CEJ also said local authorities should not have permitted the vessel to come near the country.
The Singapore-registered MV X-Press Pearl continues to slowly sink off the coast of Sri Lanka's capital city Colombo. It began sinking on Wednesday after a tug ship unsuccessfully attempted to pull the ship to deeper waters.