The X-Press Pearl Disaster—SL Government Agreed…Compensation -AMOUNT- is totally Insufficient.

Yesterday (30th August) it has been reported that the former Chairperson of the Sri Lankan Marine Environment Protection Authority (MEPA) Mrs. Dharshani Lahandapura questioned, “whether the Sri Lankan government has agreed to the settlement amount of 878,000 $ and  another additional amount 16 million rupees offer made by the insurance company in charge of the sank cargo vessel”.

According to available data the ship was carrying 1486 containers while it had caught ingulfing fire within Maritime territorial waters of Sri Lanka and eventually the ship sank due to being overwhelmed by the fire on board. Both the Sri Lanka Navy as well as many international salvage recovery operations did attempt to recover the ship from being sunk.  But none had succeeded.

Sinking of the X-Press Pearl ship is considered as the most costly both from financial perspective and environmental aspect within Sri Lankan Maritime territorial waters. According to the United Nations, the X-Press Pearl disaster was one of the worst environmental catastrophes that took place within the Indian Ocean for the past 40 years. And it has impacted the global environment ecosystem as well.

Delegations of talks between the X-Press Pearl owned insurance company and the Sri Lankan Government were held at Singapore on last July of 2023. Former Chairperson Dharshani Lahandapura states Attorney General Sanjay Rajaratnam owes an explanation in relation to  declaration made by the justice minister Dr. Wijeyadasa Rajapakse behalf of the settlement  being offered by the insurance company  amounting to 878,000 $ and another 16 million Rupees. Dharshani Lahandapura states Sri Lankan Attorney General should be far more  forthcoming  and serious about the claims the government of Sri Lanka owes within the Delegation talks.

Former Chairperson Dharshani Lahandapura says considering the tremendous environmental damage Sri Lanka suffered through from its regional air being polluted to surrounding seawater being polluted to a prolonged time period – Sri Lankan coastal lines being polluted through chemical substances within cargo containers. The Sri Lankan Government had requested and demanded an estimated amount of well over 6 $ Billion to be paid as damages for the X-Press Pearl owned shipping operator.

It has also been  revealed by Dharshani Lahandapura that a special 14 member parliamentary committee has been appointed to examine both X-Press Pearl and New Diamond maritime disasters. Dharshani Lahandapura further stated Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) should start an investigation into the matter as the Justice Minister claimed that a 250$ million pay-off had been paid to deter the Sri Lanka’s case against the X-Press Pearl ship owners.

The Sri Lanka government had filed a compensation claim in Singapore months after the limitation on damages action filed in the UK by insurers of the X-Press Pearl owned shipping company. The case was filed in the Commercial High Court in London in February last year. Under the Convention on Limitation of Liability for Maritime Claims, Sri Lanka was officially informed of this March of this year, Dharshani Lahandapura said.

However Dharshani Lahandapura said many analysts have pointed out the Sri Lankan Government should be concentrating on taking actions from within Colombo legal framework. Due to the whole incident as well as the environmental catastrophe of damages had been incurred  within Sri Lankan Maritime waters. It is under the recommendations made by the Sri Lankan Attorney General’s office  that this legal case of settlement was shifted to Singapore. Under these circumstances Dharshani Lahandapura, former Chairperson of the Sri Lankan Marine Environment Protection Authority requests political parties to civil society groups to question and to follow up on what’s being taken place in regards to this matter willingly.

Dharshani Lahandapura further commented that during her tenure as the Sri Lankan Marine Environment Protection Authority’s Chairperson, they had received Rs 1.6 billion in installments to cover up expenses incurred with regards to cleaning up operations. But suddenly, the payments had been stopped claiming the delay on the part of Customs regarding some issue connected with X-Press Pearl.