Courts bar directors of X-Press Pearl local agent from overseas travel

Wednesday, 28 January 2026 00:01 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

The Attorney General informed the Supreme Court this week that Court orders have been secured to prevent the directors of the local agent company of the MV X-Press Pearl from leaving Sri Lanka.

Additional Solicitor General Nerin Pulle, appearing for the Attorney General, made the submission when several Fundamental Rights petitions connected to the X-Press Pearl incident were taken up to assess progress in implementing earlier Court directions.

He told Court that the travel restrictions were issued by the Colombo Magistrate’s Court and the Colombo High Court.

The Singapore-flagged container vessel MV X-Press Pearl caught fire off the Colombo Port in May 2021 and burned for nearly two weeks while carrying 81 containers of hazardous cargo, including 25 tons of nitric acid. The incident led to marine pollution along Sri Lanka’s western coastline, with plastic nurdles and other contaminants washing ashore and affecting coastal communities.

The latest Court proceedings come against the backdrop of international concern over Sri Lanka’s handling of claims arising from the disaster. A $ 1 billion ruling by Sri Lankan courts over the X-Press Pearl incident has raised alarm among global shipping insurers, with the UK-based Financial Times reporting that the judgment could increase marine insurance premiums and push more vessels towards uninsured “shadow fleets.”

London P&I Club Chief Executive James Bean, which insured the X-Press Pearl, has described the ruling as alarming, warning that it could have wider implications for the global maritime insurance market. He has also pointed out that Sri Lanka is not a signatory to international conventions that cap shipowners’ liability, exposing operators to unlimited claims and potentially higher insurance costs for vessels calling at Sri Lankan ports.

Insurers have further noted that existing international conventions do not cover plastic pellet spills, a key element of the environmental damage caused by the fire. A sustained rise in premiums, Bean has warned, could result in some regions relying increasingly on unregulated vessels operating without Western insurance cover.