News
AG led Lankan team holds talks with lawyers, insurers of owners of ‘MV X-Press Pearl’ in S’pore
A nine-member Sri Lankan delegation led by Attorney General Sanjay Rajaratnam held fruitful talks with lawyers and insurers for the owners of the freight ship ‘MV X-Press Pearl’, which was destroyed in a fire in Sri Lanka’s territorial waters, the President’s Media Division (PMD) said issuing a press statement.
The discussions were held on 18 and 19 July 2023 in Singapore, the PMD said.The meeting was convened in response to a request made by the lawyers representing the ship-owner interests after the Government of Sri Lanka filed a case in Singapore in April, the PMD said.
During these discussions, both parties addressed several critical aspects related to the incident and its aftermath, the PMD said.A key focus of the talks was to assess the outstanding interim claims put forth by the Marine Environment Authority and the Ministry of Fisheries from the Government of Sri Lanka, the PMD said.
The insurers for the ship-owner assured Sri Lanka that the assessment of these claims would be conducted promptly and efficiently, the PMD said.
Sri Lanka’s Attorney General told lawyers and insurers of the ship-owner that the ongoing wreck decommissioning and debris recovery activities within Sri Lankan waters must end quickly, the PMD said.
Those representing the ship-owner’s interests said they are also willing to consider the claims made by the Sri Lankan government concerning the damage caused to the marine environment during further discussions, the statement said.
The PMD said that these discussions will have no bearing on the ongoing legal proceedings initiated by the Government of Sri Lanka in Singapore.
However, the PMD added that the talks mark a significant step in resolving the aftermath of the X-Press Pearl Incident and indicate a cooperative approach by all parties involved.
“As the assessment of outstanding claims and environmental damage claims progresses, both the Sri Lankan government and the ship-owner interests hope to reach a fair resolution that takes into account the environmental impact and the interests of all stakeholders,” the PMD said.
Singapore-flagged X-Press Pearl was destroyed in a fire, 16 kilometers off the coast of Colombo, on 20 May 2021.
The fire was caused by chemicals that were transported on the ship.
This is known as Sri Lanka’s worst maritime disaster to date.
The Originating Claim of the Claims Action on the X-Press Pearl Incident was filed in the General Division of the High Court of Singapore, as the Attorney General of Sri Lanka as the Claimant, on 25 April.
The book “Rathuwewi Mihimadala”, written based on the life story of Vasudeva Nanayakkara, Leader of the Democratic Left Front, was launched on Friday [August 28] at the Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall (BMICH) in Colombo, with the participation of Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya.
Speaking to the media afterwards about Vasudeva Nanayakkara, Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya stated:
“Vasudeva Nanayakkara is a prominent figure in Sri Lankan politics, particularly within the left-wing political movement. There were several influential figures within the left movement, and that left-wing influence also contributed to bringing the country to where it is today. Politically, there were areas where we agreed and areas where we did not. However, I have great respect for the contribution made by Vasudeva Nanayakkara to left-wing politics. When I entered Parliament in 2020, Vasudeva Nanayakkara was also in Parliament. We sat in the same row, and we spoke about many important as well as interesting moments in his political career. I believe some of these experiences have also been included in this book.”
The event was attended by members of the Maha Sangha, Minister of Justice Harshana Nanayakkara, former President Maithripala Sirisena, former Speakers Karu Jayasuriya and Chamal Rajapaksa, as well as party members, family members and friends.
[Prime Minister’s Media Division]
Latest News
Sun directly overhead Mannar, Periyamadu, Puliyankulam, Welioya and Pulmoddai about 12.11 noon today (30)
The sun is going to be directly over the latitudes of Sri Lanka from 28th of August to 07th of September due to its apparent southward relative motion.
The nearest places of Sri Lanka over which the sun is overhead today (30) are Mannar, Periyamadu, Puliyankulam, Welioya and
Pulmoddai about 12.11 noon.
(AFP) Sri Lanka’s maritime authorities were monitoring a fleet of 11 US-sanctioned Iranian oil tankers just off the island’s southern coast, the foreign minister said Wednesday.
The tankers were spotted close to the Galle harbour where an Iranian frigate, IRIS Dena, was sunk by a US submarine in March, killing 104 sailors. Sri Lanka’s navy rescued 32 Iranian sailors from that frigate.
Iranian vessels have been in limbo, unable to return to their home port because of a US blockade.
Sri Lanka’s Foreign minister Vijitha Herath said the tankers were in international waters where they had freedom of navigation.
“These ships are away from our territorial waters… we have no hold on them, nor have we facilitated them,” Herath told AFP.
The military deployed reconnaissance aircraft and patrol boats to monitor the vessels outside Sri Lanka’s 12-nautical-mile territorial waters, a military official told AFP on condition of anonymity.
“There is no indication of any ship-to-ship transfer of oil or illegal discharge of pollutants, so there is no basis for Sri Lankan authorities to take action against them,” the official said.
Many Iranian merchant vessels moved east towards the Strait of Malacca and Singapore due to US sanctions, while several remained near Sri Lankan waters, authorities said.
Sri Lankan officials said Washington had not formally notified Colombo about sanctioned Iranian-flagged vessels
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