The Marine Environmental Protection Authority (MEPA) says it needs to make sure there is still fuel onboard to evacuate the wrecked Express Pearl ship.

The chairperson of the authority, Attorney-at-Law Dharshani Lahandapura, said that if there was any fuel, the company that was removing the ship would be informed that steps should be taken to remove it to other tanks.

According to the reports, the owner of the ship has called for international tenders for the removal of the ship. The tender application period ends on the 21st of this month. At the same time, the company that currently serves as the ship’s trustee has largely completed a seabed survey.

The company hope to find out how much debris remains on the seabed, and at the same time the company selected for the removal of the ship will begin the removal of the ship, most likely in October or early November.