Pakistan, Aug. 15 -- Owners of a Singapore-registered vessel have urged Sri Lanka to reconsider the $1 billion damages ordered by the Supreme Court over the country's worst marine pollution disaster. The court directed X-Press Feeders in July to pay the amount within a year for environmental damage caused when its vessel, MV X-Press Pearl, caught fire and sank off Colombo in 2021.

The court also ordered criminal charges against the ship's captain and its local agents. X-Press Feeders expressed regret over the incident and reaffirmed its commitment to assist in all clean-up efforts. However, it stressed that compensation should be fair and must also address shortcomings in the Sri Lankan government's response and clean-up operations.

The...