Colombo: Tonnes of charred plastic pellets from a burning container ship washed ashore near Sri Lanka s capital Friday as an international effort to salvage the vessel dragged into a ninth day.
Thick black smoke rose from the Singapore-registered MV X-Press Pearl, anchored just outside Colombo harbour, heightening fears that it could break up spilling its 278 tonnes of bunker oil.
Navy personnel in hazmat suits were sent to clean millions of plastic granules mixed with burned oil and other residue that covered Negombo beach, 40km north of the capital. Sri Lankan Navy soldiers with the help of heavy machinery work to remove debris washed ashore from the Singapore-registered container ship MV X-Press Pearl, which has been burning for the ninth consecutive day in the sea off Sri Lanka s Colombo Harbour, on a beach in Colombo on May 28, 2021.
The plastic-covered beach, normally a draw for tourists and known as a fishing centre, was declared off limits. The smoking container ship could be seen on the horizon.
Tonnes of charred plastic pellets from a burning container ship washed ashore near Sri Lanka's capital Friday as an international effort to salvage the vessel dragged into a ninth day.