We can't find the internet
Attempting to reconnect
Something went wrong!
Hang in there while we get back on track
Maritime disasters and pollution: X-Press Pearl maritime debacle.
Summary
This paper reviews the marine pollution consequences of the X-Press Pearl shipping disaster, which released thousands of tons of plastic pellets and chemicals into Sri Lankan waters in 2021. The incident highlights how maritime accidents can cause sudden, large-scale microplastic contamination events and underscores the need for better prevention, response, and international coordination.
Ocean ecosystems and global well-being are connected and significant. Over the past few decades, shipping accidents have caused severe marine pollution all over the world, and after a lull during the hike of COVID pandemic, polluting events are again on the rise. Marine pollution caused by maritime accidents requires a clear understanding of the fate of spilled pollutants, post-disaster challenges, pollutant removal strategies, and mitigation strategies against environmental damage. Considering proactive prevention is always better than reactive response, while understanding accidents and ensuring corrective action is even more important. This Special Issue provides a broad overview of the marine and coastal pollution, not limited to, but focused on the 2021 X-Press Pearl containership disaster off the coast of Sri Lanka, and the impact on the marine environment. Topics address the most unprecedented nurdle and pyroplastic spill and subsequent oil spillage of the X-Press Pearl, causes and consequences of polluting ship disasters, novel oil pollution mitigation approaches, needfulness of post-disaster environmental assessment plans, future requirements for ecosystem restoration and environmental management of shipping, and other aspects of coastal pollution that are timely to consider unprecedented pressures, which marine environments are now subjected to.