Tried Towing Ship to Deeper Waters
The cargo ship, MV X-Press Pearl, was carrying nearly 1,500 containers, including 25 tons of nitric acid, 350 tons of fuel oil, and other chemicals, as well as large amounts of plastic products. Officials said Wednesday that they were attempting to drag the burning ship into deeper waters when it began to sink. X-Press Feeders, the company that owns the ship, said the ship’s aft is now resting 70 feet (21 meters) below the surface while the nose of the ship sticking out, pumping toxic smoke into the sky like a polluting iceberg.
“There is no more towing,” Sri Lankan navy spokesman Captain Indika de Silva told Al Jazeera. “We have stopped trying to tow it out of the Sri Lankan waters. Now our concern is about any oil spill. We are closely monitoring this and so far we have not detected any spill. It will be devastating if that happens, but we are taking all precautions.”
