A Turkish-flagged chemical tanker with a cargo of 6,250 tonnes of sulphuric acid sank off Sri Lanka's eastern coast after being towed out to sea. The MT Granba was abandoned by its crew on Wednesday because its acidic cargo was leaking into the ship's ballast tanks, according to the Sri Lanka Navy. All of the ship's 19 crew members were rescued by the Navy. The ship sank 90 nautical miles (167 km) off Trincomalee after the Navy towed the vessel out to sea to prevent pollution, according to Sri Lanka's Marine Environmental Protection Authority. The Navy confirmed that the tanker sank at a depth of 3,000 metres. Ranjith Kularatne, chairman of the authority, said legal action would be taken due to pollution caused by the sulphuric acid that leaked into the ocean. The registered owner of the 1983-built 7,650 deadweight tonne (dwt) chemical products tanker is Kadir Colak Denizcilik Turizm, the Navy said, adding that the vessel was managed and operated by Turkey's Ortak Denizcilik Sanayi. An official with the tanker's owner denied that the ship was overloaded with sulphuric acid, the maritime newspaper Tradewinds reported.