Singapore-based X-Press Feeders has strongly criticised the Sri Lankan Supreme Court’s order to pay $1 billion within a year over the 2021 X-Press Pearl maritime disaster, calling it a breach of due process that scapegoats its crew and sets a dangerous precedent for global shipping.
The company accused the court of effectively convicting the vessel’s master and local agents before trials have concluded — in some cases before charges have even been filed. It noted that the master has been stranded in Sri Lanka for four-and-a-half years under a travel ban, separated from his family and unable to work despite offering to post the maximum fine possible.
X-Press Feeders argued that it was given no chance to respond to allegations in court, while the ruling ignored serious failings by Sri Lankan authorities. These included official inspections just days before the fire that raised “no alarm” and the refusal of ports in Qatar, India, and Sri Lanka to offload the leaking container before the blaze. The court itself acknowledged that the Marine Environment Protection Authority’s then-chair failed to order the vessel offshore, a move the operator says could have minimised damage, yet assigned no liability.
The X-Press Pearl, a 2,700-TEU feeder vessel, sank off Colombo in June 2021 after a fire broke out in a container carrying leaking nitric acid. The incident triggered Sri Lanka’s worst-ever marine pollution disaster, spilling hundreds of tonnes of plastic pellets onto beaches. X-Press Feeders says it has already paid over $150 million for wreck removal, plastic pellet clean-up, and compensation to fishermen.
The company warns that the $1bn order — one of the largest interim compensation awards in maritime history — could drive up shipping costs for Sri Lankan trade. It is now urging authorities to adopt “rational decision-making” that balances environmental restoration with the country’s economic needs.
