An environmental justice advocate has called for an international tribunal to hold transnational corporations accountable for environmental damage, citing the limited compensation reportedly paid following the X-Press Pearl disaster off Sri Lanka’s western coast.
Dr Ravindranath Dabare, co-founder and senior legal adviser to the Centre for Environmental Justice (CEJ), made the appeal on Thursday, 15 October, during a Friends of the Earth International session at the United Nations compound in Geneva. He said only $1 million had reportedly been paid out of the $1 billion in compensation ordered by Sri Lanka’s Supreme Court in July 2025.
“Our organisation initiated Fundamental Rights litigation before the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka. In July 2025, the Supreme Court delivered a landmark judgment addressing constitutional violations and ordered the X-Press Pearl group of companies to pay $1 billion in compensation to the Sri Lankan Treasury. However, only $1 million has reportedly been paid to date,” Dabare said.
The dispute comes as a legal team representing insurers involved in the compensation proceedings arrived in Sri Lanka on 29 September and held discussions with senior government officials, including representatives of the Treasury and the Attorney General’s Department.
Neither the Central Environmental Authority (CEA) nor the Marine Environment Protection Authority (MEPA) confirmed the team’s arrival, according to the source report. However, it was learnt that the lawyers, involved in proceedings initiated by the Singapore Government, met local parties to discuss implementation of and compliance with the Supreme Court’s final judgment.
Dabare cited the case as an example of the limitations of domestic legal remedies when addressing environmental damage involving international corporate interests. He called for enforceable international legal mechanisms capable of holding companies accountable when national systems fail to provide effective remedies.
The X-Press Pearl, a Singapore-flagged vessel, caught fire in May 2021 and subsequently sank off Sri Lanka’s western coast. The disaster released hazardous substances, including nitric acid, caustic soda and methanol, as well as approximately 1,680 tonnes of plastic pellets and debris into the marine environment.
The incident caused extensive environmental damage, threatened public health and disrupted the livelihoods of coastal communities, according to Dabare’s account. The compensation dispute has since become a central issue in efforts to secure redress for the consequences of the maritime disaster.
Addressing the Geneva session, Dabare argued that environmental justice must extend beyond national borders, with international laws capable of protecting affected communities, future generations and nature.
His call for an international tribunal centres on the need for mechanisms that can address cross-border environmental harm and ensure that compensation orders translate into effective remedies. The reported payment of $1 million against the $1 billion ordered by Sri Lanka’s Supreme Court remains the central issue highlighted in his appeal.
