 X-Press Pearl on 20 May 2021, showing fumes from leaking nitric acid
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
 Singapore | |
| Name | X-Press Pearl |
| Owner | EOS RO Pte Ltd[1] |
| Operator | X-Press Feeders |
| Port of registry | Singapore |
| Builder | Zhoushan Changhong International Shipyard |
| Yard number | CHB084 |
| Launched | 28 September 2020 |
| Completed | 10 February 2021 |
| Out of service | 27 May 2021 |
| Identification | |
| Fate | Sank off the coast of Colombo, Sri Lanka after a fire erupted 12 days earlier |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Super Eco 2700 |
| Type | Container ship |
| Tonnage | |
| Displacement | 48,848 Tonnes[1] |
| Length | 186.0 m (610 ft 3 in)[1] |
| Beam | 34.8 m (114 ft 2 in)[1] |
| Depth | 17.9 m (58 ft 9 in)[1] |
| Capacity | 2,756 TEUs |
| Crew | 26 |
X-Press Pearl was a Singapore-registered Super Eco 2700–class container ship. The vessel entered service in February 2021 and was around 186 metres (610 ft) long.[2] It was operated by X-Press Feeders.
On 20 May 2021, X-Press Pearl caught fire off the coast of Colombo, Sri Lanka.[3] The vessel was engulfed in flames by 27 May and declared a total loss. It was still afloat, and the fire was thought to be under control by Sri Lankan firefighters by the late hours of 27 May 2021.[4] After burning for 12 days, the vessel sank on 2 June as it was being towed to deeper waters.[5][6] The incident was deemed the worst marine ecological disaster in Sri Lankan history[7][8] for the chemical products that spilled.[9]
According to X-Press Feeders,[10] salvage operations to remove the wreck began in November 2021. All work on site is expected to be completed by April 2023. Salvage work was interrupted during the southwest monsoon from late April to November 2022.
- ^ a b c d e f g "X-Press Pearl (21284154)". ABS Record. American Bureau of Shipping. Retrieved 6 June 2021.
- ^ "X Press Pearl". www.marinetraffic.com. Archived from the original on 3 June 2021. Retrieved 22 May 2021.
- ^ "Sri Lanka faces environmental disaster as cargo ship burns for days – video". The Guardian. 31 May 2021. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 2 June 2021. Retrieved 3 June 2021.
- ^ "Singapore flagged X-Press Pearl under watch off Sri Lanka after fire". EconomyNext. 21 May 2021. Archived from the original on 21 May 2021. Retrieved 22 May 2021.
- ^ "Disaster feared as fire-hit cargo ship sinks off Sri Lanka coast". www.aljazeera.com. Archived from the original on 2 June 2021. Retrieved 2 June 2021.
- ^ "Chemical cargo ship sinks in one of Sri Lanka's worst-ever marine disasters". France 24. 2 June 2021. Archived from the original on 2 June 2021. Retrieved 2 June 2021.
- ^ ""Worst Marine Ecological Disaster": Sri Lanka On Cargo Ship Fire". NDTV.com. Archived from the original on 30 May 2021. Retrieved 31 May 2021.
- ^ "Sri Lanka faces disaster as burning ship spills chemicals on beaches". the Guardian. 31 May 2021. Archived from the original on 31 May 2021. Retrieved 31 May 2021.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
BBC03-06-2021was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ X-Press Pearl Incident Information Centre, Archived 19 February 2022 at the Wayback Machine X-Press Feeders. Update, 4th February 2022. Retrieved 8 February 2022.