Bunker 2

Two months after the Sri Lanka Ports Authority (spla) allowed 'Bunker 2', a single hull oil tanker, to drop anchor in Sri Lanka's territorial waters, environmentalists are warning that the ship is nothing but a disaster waiting to happen.

The tanker sailed into Sri Lankan territorial waters in early September, and was permitted by the slpa to unload its cargo of fuel into smaller vessels, while being anchored several nautical miles off shore. Concerned sources claim the tanker poses a great threat to marine resources. They also point out that the off shore operations the tanker is indulging in is robbing the ports of revenue. slpa officials admit permitting the tanker to carry out its unloading, but dismiss concerns about revenue loss and environmental disaster as "nonsense".