Foreign ship to be moved to Trincomalee

Disna MUDALIGE

The foreign ship anchored for the past three years off the coast of Panadura pending the outcome of a court case, is to be moved to Trincomalee with immediate effect after making the urgent and essential renovation work to prevent it sinking.

Accordingly, the urgent renovation work of the ship is being carried out and it will be moved from Panadura today or tomorrow. The ship has been handed over to a private company called Master Drivers to move it to a safer place during the south west monsoon.

The ship will be anchored in Trincomalee where rough sea is not experienced during the monsoon.

Environment Minister Anura Priyadarshana Yapa had asked to take urgent precautions to prevent a possible marine environmental pollution from this ship, adding that if the ship is subjected to any disaster, the harm on marine life would be immeasurable. As reported, the weight of the items in the ship is 15,612 tons. In addition, there is about 370 metric tons of furnace oil in the ship.

The Marine Environment Protection Authority will decide on future measures with regard to the ship and the furnace oil and cargo inside the ship. This ship is 155 metres in length and 127 metres in width. It was manufactured in 1985.

This ship named Thermopylae Sierra, belongs to the Cyprus government.