X-Press Pearl Casualty (2021)
E1. Maritime security, geopolitics and riskDefinition
High-profile fire/loss illustrating cargo and pollution security risk.
The Singapore-flagged container ship X-Press Pearl, which caught fire on 20 May 2021 while anchored about 18 km off Colombo, Sri Lanka, burned for nearly two weeks, and sank on 2 June 2021. It carried 1,486 containers including nitric acid and roughly 1,680 tonnes of plastic nurdles, producing what became one of the largest marine plastic spills on record. Sri Lanka’s Supreme Court in 2025 ordered the owners and operators to pay US$1 billion in compensation.
Source: Sri Lanka Supreme Court 2025 judgment; documented X-Press Pearl casualty (fire 20 May, sank 2 Jun 2021)