The CEO of the vessel operator apologizes for the effects of the sunken container ship off the coast of Sri Lanka.

While Sri Lanka prepares for an oil spill from a sunken Singapore-registered container ship, the vessel operator's chief executive expressed "deep regrets and apologies" for the incident's impact on livelihoods and the environment on Thursday (Jun 3).

When the container ship X-Press Pearl caught fire off the coast of Sri Lanka on May 20, it was carrying 1,486 containers, including 25 tonnes of nitric acid. The fire raged for 13 days before being extinguished on Tuesday.

Shmuel Yoskovitz, CEO of vessel operator X-Press Feeders, told CNA on Thursday that his firm has enlisted environmental experts to monitor the situation, such as the International Tanker Owners Pollution Federation.

It has also begun communicating and cooperating with Sri Lankan officials, and has contributed "some heavy equipment" to assist with beach cleanup.

Mr Yoskovitz stated, "I'd want to offer my heartfelt regrets and apologies to the Sri Lankan people for the harm this tragedy has caused to their livelihood and environment."

Mr Yoskovitz told CNA that the aft portion of the container ship has sunk and is “now laying on the seabed at (a depth of) about 21m”. The ship’s forward section is also “slowly sinking”.

“To get a true picture of the situation, we'll have to wait for the wreck to settle on the seabed and then see what we can do,” he said.

“Right now, the salvors are watching the crash to ensure that any debris or, God forbid, an oil spill is identified swiftly and dealt with appropriately.”

He went on to say that as of 5 p.m. on Thursday, “no oil pollution has been detected.”

Sri Lanka is in the midst of the worst marine ecological disaster in its history. Millions of plastic pellets from the ship's containers have clogged the country's beaches and fishing waters, necessitating a fishing ban and a massive clean-up involving tens of thousands of soldiers.

The government of Sri Lanka has stated that it will seek compensation for the event.

“This is now being assessed, but we need to keep in mind that this will be a long process...,” Mr Yoskovitz said when asked how much that could amount to. First and foremost, to determine when this incident will end, and then to determine the total damages.”

It's "extremely difficult" to estimate any costs or damages right now, he added.

“However, we are covered by insurance. “The financial impact on X-Press (Feeders) will be minimal,” he said.

Officials in Sri Lanka believe the fire was started by a nitric acid leak, which the ship's crew had known about for at least three weeks.

Mr Yoskovitz confirmed that the crew was aware of the leak, but that they were denied permission to unload the leaking container by both Qatari and Indian authorities before the fire broke out.

He said the container was loaded onto the ship for the first time on May 10 at the Dubai port of Jebel Ali.

“It was discovered leaking while traveling alongside Hamad, a Qatari port. We requested that it be discharged after it was discovered. The port officials refused because they lacked the staff and equipment needed to discharge," he explained.

“Afterwards, the vessel sailed onto Hazira, India, where we requested permission to discharge the container, which was again denied, more or less for the same reasons as in Hamad,” he said.The X-Press Pearl arrived in Sri Lankan waters on May 19 and smoke was detected the next morning.

Asked if the incident could have been avoided if the leaking container was allowed to be discharged at the ports in Qatar and India, he replied that “it is very hard to assess what caused the fire”.

While the leak from one container was “the most probable cause”, he stressed that the company is “not 100 per cent sure”.

“At sea, there are countless situations like that. Terminals and ports can sometimes help, and sometimes they can't," the CEO remarked.

According to him, the ship's crew dealt with the spill in accordance with the International Maritime Dangerous Goods Convention's requirements.

“You must keep in mind that we load signed and sealed containers and do not open them. "We rely on our shippers' declarations and professionalism that they will pack and declare the containers correctly," he added.