COLOMBO, 15 June, 2021 (TON): The captain of the burnt cargo ship MV X-Press Pearl has been arrested by the Sri Lankan Criminal Investigation Department (CID).

The container ship caught fire on the outskirts of the Colombo Port on 20 May.

On Monday, the police spokesman DIG Ajith Rohana said that the captain was arrested from a hotel in Colombo, where he and other crew members were held, and will be produced before a local High Court.

The Department had earlier recorded statements from the captain and several others including the chief engineer of the vessel over the incident, said Rohana.

On 15 May, the X Press Pearl ship registered under the flag of Singapore was carrying 1,486 containers with 25 tones of nitric acid and several other chemicals and cosmetics from the port of Hazira, India.

The vessel soon caught fire while sending out a distress call to the Colombo Port on 20 May.

The Sri Lankan Navy dispatched vessels to bring the fire under control.

However, the Marine Environment Protection Authority said that the burning of the X Press Pearl vessel had caused a massive environmental disaster as beaches from the south coast to the west coast had been damaged by debris washed ashore.