Nine days that this container ship is on fire off Colombo.
The Singapore-registered MV X-Press Pearl threatens to break down and cause environmental disaster by dumping hundreds of tons of fuel oil into the Indian Ocean.
But, while an international operation is underway to try to avoid this oil spill, the nearby beaches are already crumbling under another pollution: millions of plastic granules coming from the cargo of the ship.
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In Sri Lanka, tons of plastic are invading the beaches
According to the authorities, the ship was carrying 28 containers full of these polyethylene granules, intended for the packaging industry, eight of which fell into the water.
“It's like the coronavirus.
We do not see the end ”
And cleaning the beaches polluted by these tons of pellets mixed with burnt oil and other debris washed up by the sea from the ship is a titanic job, which the Sri Lankan navy has been working on for several days with a great deal of staff and backhoes.
But “this story is like the coronavirus.
We don't see the end of it.
Yesterday we removed all the plastic from this beach.
With what the waves have deposited during the night, we just have to start over ”, told AFP Manjula Dulanjala, one of the sailors responsible for cleaning, and who operate in a layer of plastic and debris reaching in some places 60 cm high.
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"It is probably the most important pollution of beaches in our history," said Dharshani Lahandapura, president of the Marine Environment Protection Authority (MEPA).
But experts fear that microplastics will pollute the marine environment for years to come.
Indeed, if the plastics still whole are visible on these tourist beaches, the plastics decomposing in the water are them a serious threat for the shallow waters of this region known in particular for its crabs and its giant shrimps.
Scientists are also assessing the impact on the region's mangroves, lagoons and marine life.
The fire weakened the structure of the 186-meter-long ship, which could break and drain of its oil, MEPA said.
In addition to the fuel in its tank, the ship is carrying 278 tonnes of bunker fuel and 50 tonnes of marine diesel.
Located 40 kilometers north of the capital, Negombo, a fishing region, is threatened by a potential oil spill and its beach, the country's tourist hotspot, is now closed to the public.
While the fire seems to be finally under control, much remains to be done to secure the ship.
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Sri Lanka container ship in flames off Colombo
"There is still smoke and we can see some flames intermittently, but the ship is now stable," Sri Lankan Navy spokesman Captain Indika de Silva told AFP on Saturday.