A suspected oil spill has been issued as the ship begins to sink.

The MV X-Press Pearl is sinking due to a water leak, according to State Minister Kanchana Wijesekera.

The salvage crew on board the fire-ravaged ship has informed him that the ship has started sinking in its current position, he said.

As a result, fishing vessels have been barred from accessing the Negombo lagoon for the time being.

A temporary prohibition on fishing from Panadura to Negombo has also been imposed, according to State Minister Kanchana Wijesekera.

A suspected oil spill from the sinking ship has also been reported by the Marine Environment Protection Authority (MEPA).

Following the warning, State Minister Wijesekera stated that precautions had been made to preserve the Negombo Lagoon from any debris or oil spill caused by the vessel.

Fishermen in the deep waters, as well as those in and around the Negombo shore, have been warned to be on the lookout for debris from the ship.

Meanwhile, the Sri Lanka Navy announced that a special operation to tow the warship into the deep oceans off the coast of Sri Lanka is begun.

A number of Navy personnel aided the salvage crew in boarding the vessel this morning, according to the Navy.

However, it has been reported that pieces of the MV X-Press Pearl's back end have begun to sink.

They went on to say that the salvage crew began towing the ship into the deep oceans following that. (Source: NewsWire)