Sri Lanka, Aug. 16 -- X-Press Feeders, former operator of the container ship X-Press Pearl, has issued a strong statement challenging a recent Sri Lankan Supreme Court ruling that orders the company to pay an initial $1 billion in damages within one year related to the vessel's 2021 casualty off Colombo's coast.

The judgment, handed down in late July 2025, has sent shockwaves through the global maritime industry, with the London P&I Club calling it "an extraordinary and deeply troubling turn of events" that potentially undermines fundamental principles of maritime law.

At the heart of the dispute is the continued detention of the vessel's Master, who has been unable to leave Sri Lanka for four and a half years due to a court-ordered tra...