Plastic nurdle spill threatens Gulf of Mannar

Time of India

30-05-2025

Chennai: Plastic nurdles from the Liberia-flagged container ship that sank off the Kerala coast could spread to the ecologically sensitive Gulf of Mannar Marine Biosphere Reserve in less than two days.
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A simulation using the search and rescue aid tool (SARAT) run by INCOIS, Hyderabad, shows that the nurdles are likely to drift further along the coast near Sattankulam by Saturday evening, before moving southward and offshore on Sunday.
The tiny plastic pellets, used in plastic manufacturing, had already started washing ashore in Kanyakumari district on Wednesday.
"In 36 to 48 hours, the nurdles are likely to move offshore because the currents in that area are directed away from the coast.
However, due to wind patterns, a portion of the spill could drift into the Gulf of Mannar. But the majority is expected to reach Sri Lanka's west coast," said Balakrishnan Nair T M, Director, INCOIS.
The container vessel MSC Elsa-3 sank on May 25, about 38 nautical miles (about 70 km) off the Kerala coast, between the ports of Vizhinjam and Kochi.
The ship was carrying 640 containers, including 13 with hazardous materials such as calcium carbide, along with 84.44 tonnes of diesel and 367.1 tonnes of furnace oil.
On Friday, chief minister M K Stalin chaired a meeting with officials on the safety measures to be taken to remove nurdles and other hazardous waste from the Elsa-3 shipwreck.
According to a release from the state govt, Stalin inquired of environment and forest department secretary Supriya Sahu whether there was any oil spill from the ship accident and whether the marine organisms were affected.
Sahu informed him that the pollution control board officials were inspecting if there was any oil spill and that they had contacted the ship authorities to determine whether there were any hazardous substances onboard the ship.
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Veterinary and fisheries department secretary N Subbian told Stalin that he directed the fisheries officials to check whether the marine organisms were affected by the shipwreck and whether nurdles have been ingested by marine organisms.
The fishermen were also advised to avoid fishing in the affected areas, Subbian told Stalin.
Stalin directed the officials to monitor the movement of nurdles according to climatic conditions and to check the possible coastal areas where nurdles might get washed away.
The district collectors of Kanyakumari, Tirunelveli, Tuticorin, and Ramanathapuram were already briefed by the state disaster response authority about the steps to be taken to remove nurdles.