A Chinese vessel has reached Sri Lankan shores to assist in the salvage operations of the X-Press Pearl vessel that sank in Sri Lankan waters.

The X-Press Pearl burnt and sank off the coast of Sri Lanka in May 2021, reportedly after two ports had refused to off-load a container leaking nitric acid – typically used in fertilizers and explosives – because they lacked the expertise and facilities to tend to the leak. This produced an ecological catastrophe.

The Sri Lanka Marine Environment Protection Authority has told the media that the Chinese rescue team will cut the vessel in half and move the two parts away from Sri Lanka.

This operation will commence once favourable weather conditions prevail, and salvage operation will also include the removal of debris from the Sri Lankan ocean floor in an area of one square kilometer around the shipwreck.