Sri Lanka has asked a Chinese ship which was found carrying the1 radioactive substance, to leave the southern port of Hambantota, officials said on Wednesday.
Anil Ranjith, the top official of the Sri Lankan Atomic Energy Authority (SLAEA), said that the ship was on its way to China from the port of Rotterdam when it developed technical snags and entered the Hambantota Port.
The SLAEA said the vessel had failed to disclose its radioactive cargo when it docked in at the port. The Chinese ship was owned by the China Merchants Port Holding Company. Ranjith said that it was a commercial vessel, which carried radioactive material, the particular material served as a fuel for nuclear power plants.
The main opposition leader Sajith Premadasa said in parliament that the Sri Lanka Navy, who is in charge of the Hambantota port security, had not been allowed to carry out inspections on the vessel. “The local agent of the vessel had not informed the presence of dangerous cargo on board cargo when they sought permission from the Harbour Master to enter the port,” he said.
