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Grappling with the biggest marine plastic spill in history
The wreck of the X-Press Pearl unleashed a record 1,680 metric tons of plastic pellets on Sri Lanka’s coast in 2021. Scientists want to understand more about the effects of this poorly studied type of marine pollution
A version of this story appeared in Volume 101, Issue 3
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In 2021, a cargo ship caught fire and sank off the coast of Sri Lanka. The ship carried various chemicals, including 1,680 metric tons of plastic pellets called nurdles. Scientists are studying the accident, the largest known marine plastic fire and spill, to help advance our understanding of the environmental effects of this kind of pollution. Still, many unknowns remain about the ship’s cargo and its impact on the environment. The accident’s aftermath is playing out in Sri Lanka, where economic and political challenges present hurdles for local scientists and may complicate efforts to ensure compensation for environmental damages.
On May 20, 2021, a fire started on a cargo ship off the coast of Colombo, Sri Lanka. At home under COVID-19 lockdown, the country’s environmentalists and scientists watched media reports showing the ship spewing yellow and black fumes, and they worried that the X-Press Pearl would spill its oil into the sea.
But a few days after the ship caught fire, it became clear that the X-Press Pearl disaster was bigger than an oil spill. The ship was carrying more chemicals than its 348 metric tons (t) of bunker oil. Of the 1,486 containers on board, 81 held dangerous goods. The cargo included caustic soda, nitric acid, and fertilizer. The ship was also transporting polymers, including 1,680 t of plastic pellets, about 70 billion of them, each about 5 mm wide. These pellets, also called nurdles, are the raw materials that are melted and molded to make many plastic products.
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