X-Press Pearl disaster: Govt. to intervene on shipping company’s refusal to comply with SC ruling: Nalinda

• Attorney General’s Department working on possible interventions that Sri Lanka can make   

By Ajith Siriwardana   

The government is taking steps through the Attorney General’s Department regarding the possible intervention on the Singapore-based shipping company X-Press Feeders’ refusal to comply with the Supreme Court order to pay US$1 billion in compensation for the X-Press Pearl maritime disaster, Cabinet Spokesman Dr. Minister Nalinda Jayatissa said yesterday.   

He told the weekly briefing to announce Cabinet decisions that the government will reveal once the AG’s Department finalized on the possible intervention.   

The Minister said this while responding to a question following the concerns raised by the United Nations Office in Sri Lanka regarding the matter.   

The United Nations Office in Sri Lanka in a Tweet expressed concern over Singapore-based shipping company X-Press Feeders’ refusal to comply with a Supreme Court order to pay US$1 billion in compensation for the X-Press Pearl maritime disaster.   

“The X-Press Pearl disaster caused catastrophic harm to Sri Lanka’s marine ecosystems, livelihoods, and coastal communities. The Supreme Court’s ruling is a vital step toward justice and accountability,” the UN office said.   

It said in a post on X that the Polluter Pays Principle is enshrined in global agreements like the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea and IMO’s HNS Convention.   

“All stakeholders must act to uphold this responsibility, ensuring accountability, restoring ecosystems, and preventing future marine tragedies,” the UN Office said.   

The UN’s remarks come in response to comments made by X-Press Feeders Chief Executive Shmuel Yoskovitz, who told AFP that complying with the judgement would have far-reaching consequences for global shipping and “set a dangerous precedent.”   

Rejecting the “open-ended nature” of the penalty, Yoskovitz argued: “We are not paying because the whole base of maritime trade is based on the limitation of liability. This judgement undermines this limitation of liability.”   

The X-Press Pearl, a Singapore-flagged vessel, caught fire and sank off Sri Lanka’s western coast in May 2021, causing one of the country’s worst marine pollution disasters.