Singapore firm rejects $1bn Sri Lankan pollution damages | International

SINGAPORE, Sept 23, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - A Singapore shipping company told AFP on Tuesday it will refuse to pay Sri Lankan court-ordered damages of US$1 billion for causing that country's worst case of environmental pollution. In an exclusive interview, X-Press Feeders chief executive Shmuel Yoskovitz said he believed paying would have wide-ranging implications on global shipping and "set a dangerous precedent". The company operated the MV X-Press Pearl that sank off Colombo Port in June 2021 after a fire -- believed caused by a nitric acid leak -- that raged for nearly two weeks. Its cargo included 81 containers of hazardous goods, including acids and lead ingots, and hundreds of tonnes of plastic pellets. The ship was refused permission by...