MV-X Pearl Press, the Singapore flagged container ship that caught fire two weeks ago in Sri Lankan waters, is now sinking, the Sri Lankan Navy said in a statement on Wednesday. The ship still contains oil containers; however, there is no report of the oil spill so far.

After days of efforts by the Indian Coast Guard ships and the Sri Lankan Navy, the fire was doused on Monday. However, several brunt parts of the ship washed ashore on the Sri Lankan coast, raising concern regarding environmental damage. 

Earlier on Tuesday evening, Sri Lankan President had ordered the navy to tow the ship to deep seas, in an effort to minimize the possible environmental damage. Also, Sri Lankan authorities are now preparing to take legal actions against the owner of the ship. 

Rajapaksa, holding a special meeting on Tuesday, has discussed the steps to be taken against the owner of the ship. 

Earlier, Sri Lankan authorities had claimed the ship had entered Sri Lankan waters deliberately concealing that there was a chemical leak. Significantly, when the incident was first reported, Indian and Qatari authorities had refused entry to the ship into their waters, citing dangerous chemicals it had been carrying. 

(SAM)