Singapore firm rejects paying $1bn Sri Lankan pollution damagesBy Martin ABBUGAO with Amal JAYASINGHE in ColomboSingapore (AFP) Sept 23, 2025A Singapore shipping company told AFP on Tuesday it will refuse to pay Sri Lankan court-ordered damages of US$1 billion for causing that country's worst case of environmental pollution. The ship was refused permission by ports in Qatar and India to offload the leaking nitric acid before it arrived in Sri Lankan waters. Tonnes of microplastic granules from the ship inundated an 80-kilometre (50-mile) stretch of beach along Sri Lanka's western coast. - Long-term effects -In Colombo, Sri Lanka's Supreme Court has scheduled a hearing on Thursday about the implementation of its decision. The Sri Lankan government also filed a lawsuit against the ship's owners in the Singapore International Commercial Court.