23-Jul-2021

X-Press Feeders, operators of the container ship 'X-Press Pearl', are pleased to report that 11 of its seafarers have been repatriated to their home country after the lifting of a travel ban by the Sri Lankan courts on July 13.

We thank them for their resilience in having endured the trauma and stress of the fire onboard and an evacuation that caused injuries to their ranks and the subsequent six weeks in lockdown in Colombo. We also thank their families for their patience and fortitude during this uncertain time.

X-Press Feeders will continue to work with the Sri Lankan authorities towards the repatriation of the 14 remaining crew members who are currently housed at a hotel in Colombo. We are eager to get them home to much-needed support and hope to establish a departure date for all of them as soon as possible.

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. A light silvery-grey sheen continues to be observed emanating from the vessel with regular water sampling ongoing around the wreck. There have been no confirmed reports of any bunker oil leak at this stage. Representatives of ITOPF and Oil Spill Response continue to monitor daily updates from the scene and are ready to respond immediately if required.

Marker buoys have been deployed around the periphery of X-Press Pearl to create a 50-meter safe zone around the wreck. Meanwhile, the survey vessel ‘Dondra’ has commenced side-scan sonar operations to locate any sunken containers or debris in the anchorage for removal.