Sri Lankan authorities are trying to control a massive fire aboard a container ship near Colombo’s coast to avoid a chemical and oil spill.

The fire aboard the Singapore-flagged containership X-Press Pearl intensified overnight, prompting the decision to evacuate the ship as firefighters struggled with worsening weather conditions. Sri Lankan officials are now preparing for an environmental incident as the vessel has lost containers overboard, taken on a list, and the fire continues out of control. See video footage of the ship fire here.

The vessel was completing a voyage from Qatar and the UAE with stops in India and Sri Lanka before her scheduled arrival in Singapore.

Source: Maritime-Executive