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Sri Lanka Orders Singapore Shipowner to Pay US$1 Billion over Marine Disaster
SRI LANKA, JUL 24 – The court held the ship's owners liable under the Polluter Pays Principle for the largest marine plastic spill, ordering compensation to aid environmental restoration and economic recovery.
- On July 24, 2025, Sri Lanka's highest judicial body ruled that the owners and agents of the Singapore-registered container vessel MV X-Press Pearl must pay $1 billion in compensation for the major marine disaster off Colombo.
- This decision comes in the aftermath of the ship’s fire and eventual sinking in May 2021, which resulted in a severe pollution event involving the release of a large quantity of nitric acid along with billions of plastic pellets, marking it as the largest marine plastic spill ever documented.
- The court condemned the destruction of marine life including 417 turtles, 48 dolphins, and 8 whales, criticized government and Attorney General's Department failures, and upheld the Polluter Pays Principle for liability.
- The judgment, signed by five justices and described by Dr. Dabare as a "definitive legal stance," demands payment in three installments starting with $250 million due by September 23, 2025.
- The ruling sets a precedent for environmental accountability in South Asia, mandates ongoing investigations including bribery allegations, and establishes a Compensation Commission for restoration and community compensation.
28 Articles
28 Articles
Sri Lankan Supreme Court orders $1 bn compensation over X-Press Pearl disaster
The ruling relates to the catastrophic maritime disaster in May 2021, when the Singapore-flagged cargo vessel caught fire and later sank off the Western coast of Sri Lanka, unleashing what experts have described as the worst marine pollution event in the island’s history
Associated Press News
Sri Lankan court orders owners of container ship to pay $1 billion in marine pollution compensation
Sri Lanka’s top court has ordered the owners of a Singapore-flagged container ship that sank in 2021 to pay $1 billion in compensation for causing the most severe marine environment catastrophe in the country's history.
Channel News Asia
PressNewsAgencySri Lanka orders Singapore shipowner to pay US$1 billion over marine disaster
COLOMBO: Sri Lanka's highest court on Thursday (Jul 24) ordered a Singaporean shipping firm to pay US$1 billion in damages for causing the island's worst marine pollution when its vessel sank four years ago. The Supreme Court directed Express Feeders, the owners of the MV X-Press Pearl which sank off Colom
Sri Lanka hit by plastic pollution after cargo ship sinks off Indian coast
Sri Lankan authorities, locals and environmentalists say they’re deeply concerned about the possible impacts on the country’s marine ecosystem and coastal communities from the sinking of a container ship off the southern coast of India in May, Mongabay contributor Malaka Rodrigo reported in June. The Liberia-flagged ship MSC Elsa 3 sank on May 25 about […]
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