Sri Lanka to charge New Diamond Captain and seek $1.9 million in damages

The captain of the fire-stricken very large crude carrier New Diamond is facing negligence and pollution charges in Sri Lanka.

The Panamanian-flagged supertanker is estimated to have spilled around 1,700 tonnes of heavy fuel following the engine room fire two weeks ago.

“There is sufficient evidence to prosecute the skipper under the marine pollution act as well as the penal code for criminal negligence,” a spokeswoman for Attorney General Dappula de Livera is quoted as saying.

The fuel has leaked from the ship’s ruptured fuel tanks that were patched last week. The ship’s cargo tanks carrying 270,000 metric tonnes of crude oil remained unaffected.

The Indian Navy dropped dispersants to the sea area to minimise the impact of the oil slick on the marine environment.

Sri Lanka will be seeking a $1.88 million in damages from the shipowner to compensate for the damages.

The stricken ship has been towed some 95 kilometres from Sri Lanka’s coast, away from the country’s exclusive economic zone.

According to the Indian Navy, New Diamond is safe and stable.

For more information visit powermin.gov.lk/english/

21st September 2020