Sri Lanka, Sept. 29 -- In the wake of the Singapore shipping company refusing to pay the Supreme Court-ordered compensation of US $ 1 billion over the X-Press Pearl disaster, the government has consulted the Attorney General on the next step to be taken, a Minister said yesterday.

X-Press Feeders chief executive Shmuel Yoskovitz said earlier as reported by AFP that he believed paying would have wide-ranging implications on global shipping and "set a dangerous precedent".

The company said in a statement that it continued to "seek engagements with relevant Sri Lankan authorities".

The Supreme Court in a 24 July judgement on the 2021 X-Press Pearl casualty ordered the commercial parties to the vessel - EOS Shipping Pte Ltd, bareboat chart...