Bharatha Mallawarachi

Sri Lankan navy soldiers walk on the beach looking for plastic debris washed ashore from fire damaged container ship MV X-Press Pearl at Kapungoda, on the outskirts of Colombo, Sri Lanka. Monday, June 14, 2021.

Fire-Ravaged Ship Sinks, Prompting Sri Lankan Pollution Fear

Wreck removal remains on hold due to rough waters caused by monsoon season.

This satellite image from Planet Labs Inc. shows a sinking ship, the Singapore-flagged MV X-Press Pearl, with the oil leak line in the Laccadive Sea off Sri Lanka Monday, June 7, 2021.

Sri Lanka Testing For Oil In Waters Near Stricken Cargo Ship

Fiberglass and plastic pellets have already polluted nearby beaches.

Sri Lankan navy soldiers collect debris that washed ashore from burning ship MV X-Press Pearl anchored off Colombo port at Kapungoda, out skirts of Colombo, Sri Lanka, Monday, May 31, 2021. The fire on the Singapore-flagged ship has been burning since May 20, ravaging the ship. Debris from the burning ship that has washed ashore is causing severe pollution on beaches.

Sri Lanka Braces for Environmental Disaster as Ship Sinks

Debris is already washing up on shore.

This photo released by Sri Lankan Air Force shows ships fighting fire on the MT New Diamond, about 30 nautical miles off the coast of Sri Lanka, Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2020. Ships and aircraft from Sri Lanka and India intensified efforts to extinguish a new fire on an oil tanker off Sri Lanka's coast on Tuesday, two days after the previous three-day blaze was doused, the navy said.

Salvagers Working to Repair Leak on Oil Tanker off Sri Lanka

The MT New Diamond, which is carrying nearly 2 million barrels of crude oil, was damaged by two fires in a little over a week.