Working closely with SL authorities over repatriation of the crew: X-Press Feeders

“Our seafarers remain housed at a hotel in Colombo, awaiting permission to travel back to their anxious families and loved ones. Having endured the trauma and stress of the fire on board and an evacuation that caused injuries to their ranks, they have now been in lockdown for over six weeks. We are working closely with SL authorities through our local lawyers with regard to crew’s repatriation as soon as possible,” said X-Press Feeders, operators of the container ship 'X-Press Pearl'.

Issuing a press release, the vessel owner said an initial payment of US$3.6 million to the Sri Lankan government to help compensate those affected by the consequences of the fire and sinking of the vessel.

It said P&I insurers have made the payment and discussions are ongoing on the payment of further claims and that all legitimate claims will be considered.

“We continue to contribute to the cleanup and pollution mitigation efforts, having flown in additional oil spill response assets on a chartered flight from Malaysia in response to a request from the UN-EU team in Colombo,” the vessel owner said.

Meanwhile at the wreck site, caretaker salvors remain on a 24-hour watch to deal with any debris and report any form of a spill with drones deployed daily to help with the monitoring activities. Representatives of ITOPF and Oil Spill Response continue to monitor updates from the scene and are ready to respond immediately, if required, X-Press Feeders said.