A Cargo Ship Burns Off Sri Lanka, Covering Beaches in Plastic Debris

By Alan Taylor, The Atlantic

04 June 21

wo weeks ago, a fire erupted on a cargo ship named the MV X-Press Pearl, which was carrying tons of chemicals and plastic pellets, while it was anchored near Colombo, Sri Lanka. Efforts to douse the fire were unsuccessful, and the damaged ship began spilling its cargo. Tons of plastic pellets, also known as nurdles, spilled from their containers and began washing ashore on nearby beaches. The pellets, used as raw material to manufacture other plastic products, can absorb harmful chemicals and can be mistaken for food by marine animals. The fire on the ship recently died down, but efforts to tow it to deeper water failed, and it appears to be slowly sinking. Local authorities and fishermen are now concerned about the possibility of an oil spill, as the sinking ship was carrying several hundred tons of fuel oil.

Smoke rises from a fire onboard the MV X-Press Pearl cargo ship as it sinks while being towed out to deeper water off the Colombo port, in Sri Lanka, on June 2, 2021.

Sri Lankan Navy members work to remove debris washed ashore from the damaged container ship MV X-Press Pearl, on a beach in Colombo on May 27, 2021.