X-Press Pearl Owner Protests $1bn Sri Lanka Court Ruling

Singapore’s X-Press Feeders has condemned the Sri Lankan Supreme Court’s order to pay $1 billion within a year over the 2021 X-Press Pearl disaster, calling it a violation of due process that scapegoats its crew and sets a dangerous precedent for global shipping.

The company accused the court of effectively convicting the vessel’s master and local agents before trials have ended, with the master stranded in Sri Lanka for over four years under a travel ban, unable to work or reunite with his family. X-Press Feeders claims they were denied the chance to respond to allegations and are being held as “human collateral” to ensure compliance.

The X-Press Pearl, a new 2,700 TEU feeder vessel, sank off Colombo in June 2021 after a nitric acid leak ignited a fire, causing Sri Lanka’s worst marine pollution disaster. While the company has paid over $150 million for wreck removal, plastic pellet clean-up, and fisherman compensation, it says the ruling ignores lapses by authorities — including inspections that raised “no alarm” and port refusals in Qatar, India, and Sri Lanka to offload the dangerous cargo.

The $1 billion interim compensation is among the largest in maritime history, a sum X-Press Feeders warns could cripple many shipping firms and inflate costs for Sri Lankan trade. Having called Colombo for over 40 years, the operator is urging a fair resolution that balances environmental recovery with the country’s economic needs and respects international maritime law.

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