Sri Lanka has told the International Maritime Organization that the plastic pollution resulting from a containership fire off its coastline will cause a legacy of pollution lasting for generations.

It is the clearest public statement so far on the extent of the pollution from the 2,756-teu X-Press Pearl (built 2021) which suffered a blaze in May.

The warning came from the Sri Lankan government in a submission to the IMO's Marine Environment Protection Committee last week calling for regulatory changes.