Sri Lanka readies for oil spill from sunken cargo ship

COLOMBO: Sri Lanka on Thursday readied for the possibility of an oil spill after a cargo ship laden with chemicals sank off its western coast.

The Singapore-registered MV X-Press Pearl, carrying 1,486 containers, including 25 tonnes of nitric acid along with other chemicals and cosmetics, was anchored off the port city of Negombo when a fire erupted onboard after an explosion on May 20. Flaming containers filled with chemicals tumbled into the sea from the ship's deck as emergency crews sought to contain the blaze over the ensuing two weeks.