Pollutants From Sri Lanka Shipwreck Likely to Stick Around for Years
Plastics and chemicals that have washed up on local beaches could make their way into ocean currents, scientists warn.
The MV X-Press Pearl being towed away from the coast of Colombo on June 2.
Photographer: Ishara S. Kodiakara/AFP via Getty Images
Contaminants released from the wreckage of a container ship off the coast of Sri Lanka could be dragged thousands of kilometers by ocean currents, impacting wildlife and humans in far-reaching latitudes.
Authorities and salvage crews are now working to prevent the more than 300 metric tons of oil transported by the MV X-Press Pearl from spilling out of the ship’s fire-damaged hull. But significant damage has already been done. Chemicals and tiny plastic pellets that were once onboard the 186-meter vessel have already entered the ocean, causing one of Sri Lanka’s worst environmental disasters to date.