SPLASH: The X-Press Pearl Disaster X-Press Pearl by Carlos Luxul author of The Ocean Dove The X-Press Pearl  sank on June 2 in what is now referred to as the worst maritime ecological disaster in Sri Lanka’s history. The wreck is close to shore, too close, and it won’t be long before the effects of the ship’s fuel and other pollutants are felt, along with the cocktail of cargoes (some hazardous) from close to 1,500 containers the ship was carrying. The world watched with horror. Neighbouring governments rushed to offer assistance. Brave salvage teams did what they could. Concerned maritime and environmental organisations wrung their hands – and the blazing ship filled our TV screens. For the general public, it was just another accident at sea, just another example of the nasty, polluting shipping industry carrying out its business, a business dominated by shady shell companies in far away places that don’t play by the rules. That’s the public’s perception, but they want the...

SPLASH : The Suez Canal Legal Fight Ever Given by Carlos Luxul author of The Ocean Dove As the saga of the Ever Given in the Suez canal rumbles on, one thing has struck me: why haven’t we heard anything about a class-action law suit against the Suez Canal Authority (SCA) from a collective of the frustrated shippers and receivers?   I haven’t seen the manifest but with around 20,000 TEU s on board, it stands to reason that many of t he world’s leading corporations are likely to have been caught up in this - and while they may have a lot of power individually, they will have even more as a consortium.   While I’m no lawyer, it seems to me that the SCA is already guilty of flouting certain international laws and conventions. They are also making arbitrary and unreasonable claims against the ship’s ownership structure and, more specifically, the innocent parties caught up in it - the beneficial cargo owners. All this suggests there are solid grounds for action. Surely there...