The Absurd Sinking Ship In Panadura

Gossip Lanka Ship Sinking

There’s been this ship stuck off the coast of Panadura for the past four years, for legal reasons (Daily Mirror). I remember thinking that this was a bad idea and I remember people complaining about it. Now it’s sunk, releasing 70 metric tons of crude oil into the ocean. Gossip Lanka has the best photos. This is insane.

17 Comments

  1. Apparently it only left environmental pollution to Sri Lanka :)

  2. Everyone saw this coming. But no one did anything about it. Asshats, the lot of them.

  3. Agree. What a fiasco! I bet no one will take responsiblity as usual.

  4. I think they removed about 250 tons of oil before then ship sank.
    The responsible agency would be the “Marine Pollution Prevention Authority” though I’m unable to reach their web site. And I’m not sure whether are equipped to handle this. Most likely there are other equipped agencies .

    They should have informed the court about the risk earlier. And sri lankan courts are not known for finishing cases quickly.

  5. i cant fucking believe this is happening…Nemo is not going to be happy

  6. “The Sri Lankan Marine Environment Protection Authority said that most of the oil from the ship had been removed before the vessel sank so they did not expect a major environmental impact.” – from Hirunews.lk

    So a minor environmental impact is perfectly acceptable?? Disgraceful. :-(

  7. Must be an international conspiracy to scuttle the tourism industry of SL. :-)

  8. I heard the news item Ankie mentioned too, and wondered what kind of environmentalist this guy was. Wasn’t it just a few months ago that N was saying on this blog (or his : Off the beaten track) that the seas off Colombo were very clean?

  10. The Cypriot-flagged Thermopylae Sierra sank on Thursday in bad weather, releasing an oil slick about 10km (six miles) long.

    Some of the oil has already washed up at the resort town of Negombo and is threatening local fisheries.

    The vessel had been moored off the west coast for three years over a cargo row.

    The Disaster Management Centre said a long stretch of the west coast centred on the capital was at risk.

    This includes Mount Lavinia, a popular tourist resort south of the capital, Colombo, and Negombo, the first beach resort opened for tourism in the early 1970s.

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-19371614

  11. The local authorities were waiting impatiently till it sank. now we should hear at least two committees appointed . one to evaluate the environmental damage. another to remove the vessel..

  13. What a bunch of idiots!! Why on earth didn’t Rajapaksa govt make plans to tow this ship away from disaster instead of waiting for it to sink? This is a deliberate environmental disaster and a serious environmental crime !! In any other country he will go in for 20 years hard labor. In Sri Lanka he might even get promoted..

  14. If they acted earlier, this would not sink at all..
    If they made a representation to the court earlier, this ship could have been moved.

    There were tiny droplets of oil (mixed with sea water) in the Mt.Lavinia beach by yesterday.
    Beach was busy as usual and everyone(including me) had stains on their feet.

    Well I can tell you one thing, it is very difficult to take off those stains.

  15. If they acted early ship could have been moved.

    Even after the responsible agency tried to move the ship, the owner (Greek company) appeal a court decision (of the high court) in a higher court (appeal court) delaying the action.

  17. You’re right about the case being dragged by our courts.

    The other culprit, according to what I heard, was the relevant environmental authority, who were clueless and lethargic, despite being advised by the officers of the directorate of merchant shipping on how they should proceed. They ignored a provision in law that allows them to tow the ship ashore in circumstances like this, despite the court case being in progress.

    The merchant shipping authority appointed by court had been trying valiantly to prevent the impending disaster. What was left was mostly bilge water (cleaning water mixed with oil and other pollutants) which they were trying to purify, but the power supply to the ship had been retricted, giving them only 2 hours of power a day.

    Some naval officers who had monitored the ship had even formed a private group to urge the authorities to act fast. Letters written by them had been acknowledged after the ship had sunk, with a note saying that the relevant people had been notified.

    Apparently there are others who waited eagerly for the ship to sink. They’ve been eyeing the valuable cargo of stainless steel tubes used in oil rigs, which they hope to salvage after the lapse of one year, as the owner of a sunken vessel loses all rights to it if they dont act within a year to retrieve it. The owners in this case are said to be tied up with other similar cases in different parts of the world.

    This is the story I heard from a strong UNP supporter, so I dont know for sure.

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