The attention of the Parliamentary Sectoral Oversight Committee (SOC) on Environment, Natural Resources, and Sustainable Development has been focused on issues that have arisen due to the lack of good coordination between the Marine Environment Protection Authority (MEPA), the Ministry of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Development, and the Attorney General’s (AG) Department concerning the MV X-Press Pearl maritime disaster.

The committee inquired regarding the progress made in providing compensation due to the MV X-Press Pearl maritime disaster and seeking further support of the expert committee appointed by the MEPA to assess the damage. This was discussed when the committee met in Parliament recently under the chairmanship of MP Ajith Mannapperuma.

The MEPA officials said that although they had asked the AG’s Department in a letter about the activities of the expert committee appointed by the MEPA and its future needs, they had not received a proper reply. However, the officials said that they had received information from the Ministry of Justice that an international, independent, expert committee would be appointed to continue the assessment of the damages. As a result, the MEPA expert committee has not made a firm decision on how to proceed further, the officials said. Also, they pointed out that it is a problem that their institution is not aware of the work being carried out in this regard by the AG’s Department.

It was revealed during the committee meeting that since payments related to research activities carried out by the expert committee appointed by the MEPA have not been made, the Ministry has been informed to submit a cabinet paper to look into the ability to make payments. It was also disclosed that no appointments have been made to the expert committee for last year (2023). 

The co-chair of the expert committee appointed by the MEPA, Prof. Ajith de Alwis said that the relevant universities have been questioned regarding his educational qualifications. The Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption has inquired about the appointment and the educational qualifications of two members appointed to the expert committee, the MEPA officials told the committee.

Due to this, it was revealed before the committee that several issues had arisen in the compensation of fishermen. 

Accordingly, Mannapperuma instructed that the AG’s Department, the Ministry of Fisheries, the MEPA, and members of the expert committee appointed by the MEPA jointly prepare a programme and submit a related report to the committee.

Also, since the disaster caused by this shipping incident is the biggest destruction caused by microplastics in the world, the committee decided to seek the approval of the Cabinet of Ministers for the research of the expert committee and to provide facilities for the same.