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The Star
4 days ago
- General
- The Star
Singapore shipowner told to pay US$1bil over marine disaster
The highest court has ordered a Singaporean shipping firm to pay US$1bil (RM4.2bil) in damages for causing the island's worst marine pollution when its vessel sank four years ago. The Supreme Court directed Express Feeders, the owner of the MV X-Press Pearl which sank off Colombo Port in June 2021 after a fire that raged for nearly two weeks, to pay the money within a year. 'The X-Press Pearl... shall make further compensation payments as may be directed by this court,' the 361-page judgment read. Environmentalists had brought the case to court, alleging that both government authorities and firm owners had failed to prevent the fire from becoming an unprecedented ecological disaster. The shipping firm initially apologised and paid US$7.85mil for the immediate cleanup and as compensation for fishermen who were deprived of their livelihoods following the catastrophic incident. They then obtained an order from London's admiralty court in July 2023, limiting their liability to a maximum of £19mil. Sri Lanka has appealed that decision. The Sri Lankan government also filed a lawsuit against the shipowner in the Singapore International Commercial Court, claiming unspecified damages. That case has been put on hold pending a decision from the admiralty court in London. There was no immediate response from the Singaporean owner or their local representatives. The vessel was carrying 81 containers of 'dangerous cargo', including acids and lead ingots, when it sank. Tonnes of microplastic granules from the ship inundated an 80km stretch of beach along Sri Lanka's western coast. Fishing was prohibited for months due to the plastic pollution. Sri Lankan authorities believe the fire was caused by a nitric acid leak, which the crew apparently knew about nine days before the blaze started. Ports in Qatar and India had refused to offload the leaking nitric acid, and the vessel arrived in Sri Lankan waters with the leak. — AFP
Time of India
5 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
Sri Lanka orders Singapore shipowner to pay US $1 bn over marine disaster
Advt Advt Sri Lanka's highest court on Thursday ordered a Singaporean shipping firm to pay US$1 billion in damages for causing the island's worst marine pollution when its vessel sank four years Supreme Court directed Express Feeders , the owners of the MV X-Press Pearl which sank off Colombo Port in June 2021 after a fire that raged for nearly two weeks, to pay the money within a year."The X-Press Pearl... shall make further compensation payments as may be directed by this court," the 361-page judgement had brought the case to court, alleging that both government authorities and firm owners had failed to prevent the fire from becoming an unprecedented ecological shipping firm initially apologised and paid $7.85 million for the immediate cleanup and as compensation for fishermen who were deprived of their livelihoods following the catastrophic then obtained an order from London's admiralty court in July 2023, limiting their liability to a maximum of 19 million pounds ($25 million). Sri Lanka has appealed that Sri Lankan government also filed a lawsuit against the ship's owners in the Singapore International Commercial Court, claiming unspecified case has been put on hold pending a decision from the admiralty court in was no immediate response from the Singaporean owners or their local vessel was carrying 81 containers of "dangerous cargo", including acids and lead ingots, when it of microplastic granules from the ship inundated an 80-kilometre (50-mile) stretch of beach along Sri Lanka's western coast. Fishing was prohibited for months due to the plastic Lankan authorities believe the fire was caused by a nitric acid leak, which the crew apparently knew about nine days before the blaze in Qatar and India had refused to offload the leaking nitric acid, and the vessel arrived in Sri Lankan waters with the
Business Times
5 days ago
- Business
- Business Times
Sri Lanka orders Singapore shipowner to pay US$1 billion over marine disaster
[COLOMBO] Sri Lanka's highest court on Thursday (Jul 24) ordered a Singaporean shipping firm to pay US$1 billion in damages for causing the island's worst marine pollution when its vessel sank four years ago. The Supreme Court directed Express Feeders, the owners of the MV X-Press Pearl which sank off Colombo Port in June 2021 after a fire that raged for nearly two weeks, to pay the money within a year. 'The X-Press Pearl... shall make further compensation payments as may be directed by this court,' the 361-page judgement read. Environmentalists had brought the case to court, alleging that both government authorities and firm owners had failed to prevent the fire from becoming an unprecedented ecological disaster. The shipping firm initially apologised and paid US$7.85 million for the immediate cleanup and as compensation for fishermen who were deprived of their livelihoods following the catastrophic incident. They then obtained an order from London's admiralty court in July 2023, limiting their liability to a maximum of £19 million (S$32.8 million). Sri Lanka has appealed that decision. BT in your inbox Start and end each day with the latest news stories and analyses delivered straight to your inbox. Sign Up Sign Up The Sri Lankan government also filed a lawsuit against the ship's owners in the Singapore International Commercial Court, claiming unspecified damages. That case has been put on hold pending a decision from the admiralty court in London. There was no immediate response from the Singaporean owners or their local representatives. The vessel was carrying 81 containers of 'dangerous cargo', including acids and lead ingots, when it sank. Tons of microplastic granules from the ship inundated an 80-kilometre stretch of beach along Sri Lanka's western coast. Fishing was prohibited for months due to the plastic pollution. Sri Lankan authorities believe the fire was caused by a nitric acid leak, which the crew apparently knew about nine days before the blaze started. Ports in Qatar and India had refused to offload the leaking nitric acid, and the vessel arrived in Sri Lankan waters with the leak. AFP
The Sun
5 days ago
- Business
- The Sun
Sri Lanka court orders Singapore firm to pay US$1bn for marine disaster
COLOMBO: Sri Lanka's highest court has ordered a Singapore-based shipping company to pay US$1 billion in damages for causing the country's worst marine pollution disaster. The MV X-Press Pearl, owned by Express Feeders, sank off Colombo Port in June 2021 after a fire burned for nearly two weeks. The 361-page judgment stated, 'The X-Press Pearl... shall make further compensation payments as may be directed by this court.' Environmental groups filed the case, accusing both the shipping firm and government authorities of failing to prevent the ecological catastrophe. Initially, the company paid $7.85 million for cleanup and fishermen's compensation. However, in 2023, a London court limited their liability to 19 million pounds ($25 million), a decision Sri Lanka is appealing. The vessel carried 81 containers of hazardous materials, including acids and lead ingots. Microplastic pellets from the wreck polluted an 80-kilometre stretch of coastline, halting fishing for months. Investigations suggest the fire started due to a nitric acid leak, which the crew reportedly knew about days before the blaze. Sri Lanka has also filed a separate lawsuit in Singapore, though proceedings are paused pending the London court's ruling. The Singaporean firm has not yet responded to the verdict. – AFP
