Sri Lanka, Sept. 25 -- The Greek company that owns the fire stricken crude oil tanker 'MT New Diamond' vessel has agreed to pay Rs.340 million as initial compensation to local companies involved in extinguishing the fire.

The Attorney General's coordinating officer, State Counsel Nishara Jayaratne told news media that the owners of the ship had informed the Attorney General about this.

The Attorney General had submitted a written claim on September 16 to the lawyers of the owners of the vessel for costs incurred to assist in extinguishing the fire and the costs incurred in connection with the fire.

The Navy, the Air Force, the Sri Lankan Port Authority, the Colombo Dockyard, MEPA (Marine Environmental Protection Authority) and the Coas...