Following the removal of oil from the “Sri Lanka Glory” ship stranded in Rumassala, Galle after it washed ashore on the beach due to high winds, the company the ship belongs to, Sri Krishna, is now seeking expert advice on how to remove the ship from the premises. Speaking to The Sunday Morning, Marine Environmental Protection Authority (MEPA) Deputy General Manager A.J.M. Gunasekara stated that MEPA will not take legal action against the company since no pollution took place. “Under the Marine Pollution Prevention Act No. 35 of 2008, MEPA has the authority to give instructions to reduce maritime pollution. We instructed the company to remove the oil from the ship, and it was done successfully under our supervision. Now we have instructed the company to remove the ship from the premises, and they have notified us that they are seeking advice on how to remove the ship without causing harm to the environment. But they haven’t told us exactly how they will do it; whether they will disassemble the ship, we do not know yet,” he said. When asked whether the shallow water corals were harmed in the process, Gunasekara stated that the information could not be clearly obtained as the sea in the area remains rough. The ship washed ashore at Rumassala near the Buono Vista Coral Reef on 18 July due to adverse weather conditions. -Tharumalee Silva