Sri Lanka fishers still face nurdles and unpaid X-Press Pearl compensation

The Sansasyonel - International (English) · Nov 5, 2026 · 1m

Five years after the X-Press Pearl sank off Sri Lanka in May 2021, nurdles are still washing ashore at Pamunugama. The Singapore-flagged vessel caught fire while carrying 1,486 containers, including tonnes of hazardous materials, and billions of plastic pellets spilled into the sea. Fishers say damaged fishing grounds and nets have made it harder to sustain their livelihoods. Some suspect contaminants from the spill are damaging their nets, though the cause has not been independently established. Many fishers say the way compensation claims were classified excluded people affected by the…