Sri Lanka launches probe over cargo on ship which crashed in Baltimore

Sri Lanka has launched an investigation over the cargo on the Colombo bound ship which crashed in Baltimore.

State Minister of Environment Janaka Wakkumbura told Parliament that the Central Environment Authority (CEA) launched the investigation after it was reported that hazardous material were on the ship which was heading to Colombo.

He said that Sri Lanka got to know what was on the ship only after the accident in the US.

The State Minister responded to a question raised by Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa regarding the ship.

A Sri Lankan is among the crew on the ship involved in the Baltimore bridge accident.

At least six people were unaccounted for and presumed dead after the large cargo ship heading to Sri Lanka crashed into a pillar of a bridge in Baltimore last week, causing it to collapse.

The ship remains stationary and its 21 crew members remain on board for the foreseeable future, officials said.

Twenty of them are from India, and one is from Sri Lanka, said Will Marks, a spokesperson for the crew. He said they’re currently busy maintaining the ship and cooperating with investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board and the U.S. Coast Guard.

The U.S. Coast Guard has opened a temporary, alternate channel for vessels involved in clearing debris from the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, part of a phased approach to opening the main shipping channel leading to the vital port. (Colombo Gazette)