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X-Press Pearl

2021-05-25 · Off Colombo, Sri Lanka, Indian Ocean · Feeder container ship · Singapore flag

Disaster type
fire
Fatalities
None
Environmental damage
Worst maritime environmental disaster in Sri Lankan history. ~1,486 containers lost; 87 containers of hazardous cargo including nitric acid (the ignition source), sodium hydroxide, and 78 tonnes of plastic pellets ('nurdles') washed ashore for 500+ km of coast. Devastated fisheries.

Accident narrative

The Singapore-flagged 2,700-TEU X-Press Pearl was anchored off Colombo awaiting a berth on 20 May 2021 when a fire started in a container of nitric acid on her forward deck. The nitric acid had been leaking since Jebel Ali, ignored at Hazira (India) and Hamad (Qatar) port stops. Once ignited, the fire spread through the container stack over 13 days despite firefighting efforts by the Indian Coast Guard, Sri Lankan Navy, and specialist salvors. On 2 June the vessel began to sink; her cargo — including 78 tonnes of plastic nurdles — poured out over the following weeks. The Sri Lankan Attorney-General's claim, filed in the Singapore International Commercial Court in 2023, alleges systematic negligence by the shipowner (X-Press Feeders), the operator (SLPA), and the classification society (Nippon Kaiji Kyokai) in accepting and transporting the leaking cargo. The case is unresolved as of 2026.

Crew perspective

X-Press Pearl is the founding case for the industry's 'IMDG mislabelling refusal' doctrine that many major-port terminal operators now enforce. If your vessel's manifest identifies a leaking IMDG container, the correct answer is to isolate, notify, and refuse discharge until inspection — not to sail with it. The case also established that the master's IMDG duty extends to identifying misdeclared cargo, not just accepting the shipper's declaration at face value.

Regulatory response

IMO MEPC.1/Circ.907 amendments on plastic-pellet transport packaging (2023). Drove Sri Lankan Attorney-General's US$6.4bn claim in Singapore International Commercial Court. Cited in IMO Marine Environment Protection Committee's 2023 discussion of container-fire response.

See also