X-Press Pearl captain appeals to Sri Lanka PM to set him free

X-press Pearl Captain Vitaly Tyutkalo, who has been detained in Sri Lanka since 2021, has appealed to Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena to allow him to go see his family.

The X-Press Pearl which was carrying 1,486 containers, including chemicals and plastic nurdles, caught fire in the anchorage 10 nautical miles north of the Colombo Port in May 2021.

Capt Vitaly was arrested following the incident and was released on bail but his passport was seized.

According to Sea Trade Maritime news, the captain’s health has deteriorated and he suffered a heart attack while staying at a hotel in Sri Lanka and continues to be on medication.

Asked by Sea Trade Maritime news if he a message for Sri Lanka?s Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena about his predicament Capt Vitaly says: ?Prime Minister of Sri Lanka, can you please help me to go home to my family? I have waited for three years in your good country. I have lost these years of my life without my family. Can you please help me to get a decision from the court? Help me to get some certainty for my life and direction.?

The uncertainty of his situation and being trapped indefinitely overseas has clearly taken its toll. ?I just don?t what is happening with me ? the High Court seems to go on forever, it has already been three years,? he says. He missed his eldest daughter?s wedding a year and his younger daughter, 19, has graduated from school, which he was unable to attend. He says it was ?heartbreaking? missing these life events with his family.

Capt Vitaly?s employers X-Press Feeders have continued to support him throughout his ordeal. As well legal support, they have paid his salary and accommodation in Sri Lanka, previously in a hotel and now in a rented house, as well as a car.

He describes the support he has received from his employers as ?unbelievable? and says that his lawyer has been extremely involved in his case, Sea Trade Maritime news reported. ?But unfortunately, they have no control over how slow the court process is, they have no control over my case, or who has my passport.? (Colombo Gazette)