A crew member evacuated off the X-Press Feeders' containership ablaze off the coast of Sri Lanka has tested positive for Covid-19.
In an situation update released on Thursday, the Singapore-based feeder containership operator said that the seafarer rescued from the burning 2,743-teu X-Press Pearl (built 2021) tested positive upon arrival in Colombo.
He has been transferred to a special facility in a military hospital for further treatment.
“He remains asymptomatic,” the company said.
In addition, the company revealed that two other seafarers received leg injuries during their evacuation from the ship on Tuesday morning and remain in hospital in stable condition.
“The other 23 crew members are in a Colombo quarantine facility and are in good health,” the company said.
Efforts to extinguish the fire on board the X-Press Pearl remained ongoing on Thursday, with three firefighting tugs, helicopters and vessels from the Sri Lankan Navy and Indian coastguard on scene.
“The vessel remains at anchor off Colombo port with fire fighters and salvage experts flown in from Europe working with local authorities in their efforts to save the vessel and its cargo, despite the adverse weather due to the onset of South West monsoons,” X-Press feeders said.
The three-month-old X-Press Pearl caught fire while anchored off Colombo last Thursday. Company officials have blamed an acid leak caused by poor packaging.
An explosion on Tuesday saw the fire rage out of control, and forced the evacuation of crew.
While salvage teams from Smit continue to tackle the fire on the gutted vessel, they appear to be fighting a losing battle.
Media reports on Wednesday indicated that debris had started to fall from the ship and at least 20 containers had been lost, some of which has washed up on the shores of Negombo, near Colombo, and surrounding areas.
Sri Lanka’s Marine Environment Protection Authority warned local residents that some of the containers could contain hazardous cargoes.
The ship is known to be carrying 25 tonnes of nitric acid among the 1,486 containers on board.
Sri Lankan authorities are on alert for possible fuel leaks from the vessel, which given the currents, would also be washed onto shore.
