200 Litres of Crude Oil Leak Into Sea Near Colombo Port

A leak has been detected in a pipeline used to unload crude oil from a fuel tanker at the first buoy of the Colombo Port.

The Ceylon Petroleum Corporation said that unloading of fuel through the pipeline has been temporarily suspended, and repair work on the leak is currently underway. 

Meanwhile, the Coast Guard has launched an operation to remove fuel mixed with seawater, deploying the vessel 'Samaraksha' for the task.

Sri Lanka Navy is also assisting in the operation.

The Marine Environmental Protection Authority said that samples of the leaked crude oil have been collected and sent for testing, estimating that around 200 litres of crude oil had leaked into the sea.