Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to support the proposal by the government of Sri Lanka to the International Maritime Organisation to regulate the transport of plastic nurdles.

When the container ship X-PRESS PEARL caught fire and sank off the Sri Lankan coast in 2021, a significant quantity of plastic nurdles were released into the marine environment. Following the incident, the Sri Lankan government submitted a paper to the International Maritime Organization (IMO) which sets out several proposed measures aimed at preventing similar spills of plastic nurdles in the future and identifying tools to manage such spills should they occur.

The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA), which provides the UK’s representation at the IMO, is actively engaged in IMO work focussed on the issue of marine plastics. Whilst the proposals that have been put forward will need further refinement and consideration within the IMO, the MCA is supportive of efforts to reduce marine plastic pollution and welcomes the debate in an international forum.