Marine life affected due to oil leak from New Diamond tanker

COLOMBO (News1st): Marine life has been affected due to fuel leakage from the MT New Diamond oil tanker that caught fire, officials said on Saturday. "We have observed a fuel leakage that is about 2 centimetres thick," Dharshani Lahandapura, the chair for the Marine Environmental Protection Authority said. She pointed out that experts had observed turtles, fish and other marine life in the sea area in which the oil had leaked from the oil tanker. MT New Diamond that was towed away from Sri Lankan waters after catching fire, is currently 50 nautical miles off the coast of Batticaloa. Meanwhile, merchant shipping specialists have pointed out that Sri Lanka faces the risk of receiving compensation due to the involvement of salvage companies. "If they (salvage companies) tow the vessel further away and claim money for that, they will receive it," Capt. Isharaka Perera, a merchant shipping specialist said. He added that Sri Lanka had lost an opportunity to receive compensation when 12 vessels had sunk in the Kankesanturai area after a US company had intervened.