Though oil and water do not mix, acid and water do. This is why it has become a problem for Sri Lankas environmental authorities in the aftermath of the sinking of a Turkish ship with thousands of tons of sulphuric acid in the seas off Sri Lankas eastern coast.
This is the first time that Sri Lankas environmental authorities are facing such a problem, though they say they are well prepared to deal with an oil spill.
Their biggest concern is about the possible harm the acid could cause to marine life. They are now assessing the environmental impact so that they can warn fishermen in the area.Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Ministry Secretary G. Piyasena said that the Sri Lanka Navy had also written to the ministry, inquiring about the safety of the waters.
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| The ship crew at a Trinco hotel |
He said that following a request from the ministry, officials of the National Aquatic Resources Research and Development Agency (NARA) had rushed to Trincomalee to conduct tests and investigations. He promised the ministry would take necessary action based on NARAs recommendations.
The Turkish ship ‘Motari Magnor Granba’ that carried more than 6,250 metric tonnes of sulphuric acid sprang a leak due to a technical problem when the vessel was near Trincomalee on Tuesday.
Following an SOS, the Navy rescued the ship’s 19-member crew and tried to repair the stricken ship, whose last port of call was Tuticorin in southern India. But when Navy officials realized the situation was getting worse with every passing minute, they decided to tow the ship to the deep seas (80 nautical miles off the Trincomalee coast). But the ship sank on Wednesday night before a salvage vessel from Greece could arrive at the scene.
The ships officers were produced before a magistrate and released on bail. They are now staying at a hotel in Trincomalee while the Marine Environment Protection Authority, which comes under the Ministry of Environment, is to consult the Attorney General’s Department to file action against the ship company under the Marine Pollution Prevention Act
“We are filing the case in terms of the Act’s two clauses that deal with the offense of releasing the pollutant to sea. We may also file a civil case to obtain damages and make them pay for towing charges,” Marine Environment Protection Authority (MEPA) Chairman Ranjith Kularatne said they would forward the case to the Attorney General’s department.
He said Sri Lanka was not ready to face a chemical spill although it had a national contingency plan for oil spill. Mr. Kularatne said that although a large quantity of sulphuric acid had dissolved in the sea, there had been no reports of explosion or heavy smoke, as happens usually when concentrated sulphuric acid is mixed with water.
The MEPA chairman also said that if the ship had not been towed to the deep seas, the effect would have been catastrophic. “As the ship sank in a non-fish breeding area and away from corals, I believe that whatever effect would be minimum. If the incident had occurred in a fish-breeding area, it would definitely have an effect on fish eggs and humans,” Mr. Kularatne said.
Environmentalist Jagath Gunawardena said he was not ruling out the possibility of any damage to marine life but he belived it would be minimal because the incident had happened in the deep seas.
“It depends on the amount of time the species are exposed to the acid. This acid is toxic only in the acidic state. As acid it can cause horrible burns. The salinity prevalent in the sea may neutralize the toxic effects to a certain degree but there may be a chemical pollution effect in the short term as well as in the long term,” he said. Sulphuric acid is a widely used chemical in vehicle battery cells. |
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