COLOMBO : Colombo court imposed a travel ban on Tuesday, May 1, on the Captain, Chief Engineer and Deputy Chief Engineer of the ‘MV X-Press Pearl’ from leaving Sri Lanka. The police recorded seven statement from the members of the crew regarding the fire broke out in the vessel.
The Criminal Investigations Department (CID) is conducting further investigations in relation to the fire onboard the Singapore-registered container ship, police spokesman DIG Ajith Rohana said.
CID officers had recorded statements from the Captain, Chief Engineer, and the Deputy Chief Engineer of the vessel yesterday while statements had been recorded today from the Harbour Master at the Colombo Port, the wildlife conservation officer in charge of the coastal area, an officer from the Marine Environment Protection Authority (MEPA) and an officer from the local agent of the vessel.
After the relevant facts were reported to the court, Sri Lanka Police had obtained a court order preventing the Captain, Chief Engineer, and the Deputy Chief Engineer of the ‘MV X-Press Pearl’ from leaving the country, he said.
The court instructed to inform the Controller of Emigration and Immigration regarding the travel ban.
In addition to this, the court also issued a directive to inspect the vessel accompanied with officers from the Government Analyst’s Department.
Meanwhile the court also ordered to obtain the documents and records of the ship, the police spokesman said.
Meanwhile, Sri Lanka Navy spokesman says that salvor team members have boarded the “MV X-Press Pearl” after dousing the fire onboard the ship.
He added that a team of Sri Lanka navy divers are inspecting the submerged parts of the ship for any external damage.
Salvage operations are being led by the Dutch company SMIT, which had sent specialist fire-fighting tugs.
Nine Sri Lankan ships and three Indian vessels have been working with international salvage experts to douse the inferno on the Singapore-registered X-Press Pearl.
The vessel was carrying nearly 1,500 containers, including 25 tonnes of nitric acid, when a fire broke out as it waited to enter Colombo port.
It is believed that the fire was sparked by a leak of nitric acid on the 186m long ship. Monsoon winds had fanned the flames.