Sri Lanka: Seven Employees Of Local Agent Of X-Press Pearl Ship Arrested

Seven employees of the local agents of the MV X-Press Pearl were arrested by the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) and had been granted bail eventually.

The suspects had been produced before a Magistrate. They were released on bail. Arjuna Hettiarachchi, Chairman of Setmil Group of companies, the operators of the vessel, and local agent of X-Press Feeder, was arrested earlier in July. Hettiarachchi was granted bail later on by the court.

Image Credits: @IndianNavy

The ship’s captain had also been arrested and released on a personal bond worth Rs 2 million. Last month, the cargo-laden X-Press Pearl had caught fire owing to a massive explosion off the coast of Colombo.

Eight cargo-laden containers had fallen into the sea after which debris and other contaminants started washing ashore along the once pristine beaches. The ship finally sank in the Sri Lankan waters.

Reference: colombogazette.com

Source: Maritime Shipping News