The salvage of X-Press Pearl is expected to be completed in April 2023, after the first of four phases have been almost completed.
Almost all containers have been recovered by Shanghai Salvage, said the ship owner, Singapore-based X-Press Feeders.
Due to the monsoon season, salvage work on the newly built 2,756 TEU ship, which went up in flames off Colombo, Sri Lanka, on 20 May 2021, will be suspended in April before resuming in November.
This month, X-Press Feeders also contracted NARA (National Aquatic Resources Research and Development Agency) to survey the waters of less than 10 meters depth to identify if any incident-related debris can be detected and recovered.
Detailed underwater surveys have been completed at the wreck itself, and the heavy fuel bunker tanks have been inspected. A total of 60 cubic metres of oily water was recovered and separated, resulting in about three cubic metres of pure heavy fuel oil being safely removed. The surveys revealed a large crack in the hull around the midship area, so the Shanghai Salvage has activated their proposed contingency plan. The plan involves splitting the wreck into two sections, the forward wreck section with an estimated weight of 18,000 tonnes, and the aft one with an estimated weight of 13,000 tonnes.
Meanwhile, on 10 February a ship chandler has had one of X-Press Feeders’ other ships, the 1,645 TEU X-Press Kohima, arrested in Colombo, due to claims relating to the X-Press Pearl, according to Manifold Times report.
Trico Maritime (Pvt) Ltd, a Sri Lankan subsidiary of Trico Maritime International USA LLC, which organises shipments of household goods from most US ports to Sri Lanka, is claiming damages totalling US$622,137.50 suffered as a result of the loss of cargo.
A spokesperson for X-Press Feeders told Container News that the company could not comment on ongoing legal proceedings.
AIS (Automatic Identification System) data shows the X-Press Kohima, which carries cargoes between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, has been moored off Colombo since 4 February.
Last July, X-Press Feeders settled a US$3.6 million claim from the Sri Lankan government, but is facing additional claims from the latter.
Martina Li
Asia Correspondent
