COLOMBO, 11 June, 2011 (TON): Sri Lankan authorities have steps to investigate possible oil leak from sinking X-Press Pearl ship that caught fire on 20 May.

The incident took place while anchoring 9.5 nautical miles off the Colombo harbor.

The media reported that the suspicion of the leak was raised after international media showed satellite images of a suspected oil patch around the ship.

S Minister of Environment Mahinda Amaraweera told the media that the Chairperson of the Marine Environment Protection Authority (MEPA) informed him that a team from the MEPA has been sent to the ship to investigate and obtain the relevant oil and water samples.

However, the X-Press Feeders, operators of the container ship X-Press Pearl confirmed that the situation on the scene remains under observation with no signs of debris and no confirmed reports of fuel oil pollution.

The MEPA said that the burning of the X-Press Pearl vessel has caused a massive environmental disaster as beaches along the southern and western coast have been damaged, and a large number of marine life have been killed as a result of the pollution caused by the fire while the Fisheries Department has imposed a temporary ban on fishing in the region.