Oil spill near Colombo Port brought under control within 8 hours
An oil spill reported near the Colombo Port in the early hours of December 14 has been successfully brought under control, authorities said.
The spill occurred near the crude oil unloading buoy belonging to the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) during unloading operations from the vessel MT ASP Avana. Officials said the incident was caused by a defect in a pipeline connected to the buoy.
The spill was reported at around 3.30 a.m., following which officials from the Marine Environment Protection Authority (MEPA) carried out an on-site inspection. Cleanup operations were immediately launched with the participation of the Sri Lanka Navy, Sri Lanka Coast Guard, CPC, Lanka Oil Tank Terminals Limited (CPSTL), and private sector support.
Oil recovery operations are being carried out using the Sri Lanka Coast Guard vessel “Samaraksha”. Authorities said a significant quantity of the spilled oil has already been recovered and transported ashore using vessels equipped with oil recovery facilities. Efforts to collect the remaining minor quantities of oil are continuing with assistance from private sector vessels.
MEPA said the oil spill was contained within approximately eight hours of the incident and that there has been no impact on the marine environment, fish stocks, other marine life, or coastal and fishing communities.
The Sri Lanka Air Force has also been deployed to assist with aerial surveillance to monitor the spread and movement of the oil. Observations indicate that, based on current sea conditions and wind direction, the oil is drifting away from Sri Lanka’s coastline.
MEPA said it will continue monitoring the situation and will issue further updates if there are any changes
