Indian authorities declare emergency over hazardous cargo spill
Authorities in the Indian state of Kerala have declared a state of emergency after a vessel carrying oil and other hazardous materials capsized off the coast on Sunday. The incident has triggered fears of a major spill and environmental hazard.
The Liberian-flagged cargo ship MSC ELSA 3, carrying diesel, furnace oil, and containers with hazardous cargo, capsized near Kochi in southern part of India due to a load imbalance, local authorities stated on Sunday. All 24 crew members were rescued, officials added.
The vessel began tilting 38 nautical miles off the coast of Kochi on Saturday and capsized rapidly in the early hours of Sunday due to flooding in one of the holds, the coast guard said in a statement. The ship was carrying 84.44 metric tonnes of diesel, 367.1 metric tonnes of furnace oil, and 640 containers, including 13 containing hazardous cargo and 12 with calcium carbide, the coast guard noted.
All 24 crew members ex Liberian-flagged container Vessel MSC ELSA 3 rescued safely, 21 by @IndiaCoastGuard & 03 by @indiannavy Ship Sujata after vessel sank off #Kochi this morning. Vessel was carrying 640 containers, including 13 containing hazardous cargo and 12 with calcium… pic.twitter.com/990qmogVJR
The Kerala government declared a statewide emergency on Sunday amid fears that the oil slick could reach anywhere along the coast. Containers from the vessel were seen drifting in the sea at a speed of 3kph, the Indian Express reported.
@IndiaCoastGuard#MRCC, #Mumbai received a Distress Alert regarding Liberia-flagged container vessel MSC ELSA 3 developing 26° list approx 38 nautical miles southwest of #Kochi. Vessel departed #Vizhinjam Port on 23 May 25, bound for #Kochi with ETA 24 May 25. #ICG is actively… pic.twitter.com/U7SzOBsE9h
An unnamed defense spokesperson in Kochi quoted by the newspaper said that efforts are being made to mitigate the oil spill, with a coast guard ship and an aerial assessment of the situation being conducted. Besides the oil in the fallen containers, 'marine fuel used in the ship has also leaked,' the Kerala chief minister's office said in a statement, following a high-level meeting on Sunday.
According to simulation results from the Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS), cited by The Hindu newspaper, there is a 45% probability that many of the 640 containers from the sunken container ship are likely to drift towards the coastal stretch of Kerala within the next 48 hours. As a precautionary measure, the government has prohibited fishing in a 20-nautical-mile radius around the sunken ship, in addition to an existing ban on fishing due to heavy rain.
Officials have also activated the Search and Rescue Aid Tool (SARAT) to aid in the location of containers or other drifting objects.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Russia Today
2 days ago
- Russia Today
‘Terrorism and dialogue cannot go together' – India on talks with Pakistan
India has reiterated that 'terrorism and dialogue cannot go together' in response to Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's remark that Islamabad is ready for dialogue with its neighbor. Speaking at a press briefing in New Delhi on Thursday, Indian External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal underscored the country's unchanged position on engagement with Islamabad. 'And as far as the issue of terrorism is concerned, any discussion with Pakistan will focus on the list of terrorists we had provided to them some years ago – they should hand them over to us.' Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday echoed that stance, insisting that Pakistan must hand over designated terrorists, including Masood Azhar and Hafiz Saeed, the respective leaders of Jaish-e-Mohammed (JEM) and Lashkar-e Tayyiba (LeT), 'if it is serious about talks.' Both men are designated as terrorists in India but are also on the United Nations (UN) 1267 ISIL and Al-Qaida Sanctions List. 'It would be in Pakistan's interest to uproot the nurseries of terrorism operating on its soil with its own hands,' Singh said. Pakistan Should 'Uproot' Its 'Nurseries Of Terrorism' - Defence Minister Rajnath Singh Speaking earlier this week at a Pakistan-Türkiye-Azerbaijan trilateral summit in Azerbaijan alongside presidents Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Ilham Aliyev, Pakistani Prime Minister Sharif said his country wants 'peace in the region,' which requires 'talks on the table' on Kashmir, a region that has been claimed by both countries ever since their independence from Britain in 1947. 'I have said in all earnest that if India wants to talk on countering terrorism in sincerity of purpose, Pakistan would be willing to talk to India on this issue as well,' Sharif was quoted by The Dawn newspaper as on Kashmir, the Indian Foreign Ministry spokesperson reiterated that the issue would be resolved bilaterally when Pakistan vacates the part of the region which it holds 'illegally and unlawfully.' The statements come after New Delhi launched military action against targets in Pakistan, which it labeled as 'terrorist camps.' The operation was a response to the April 22 massacre of 26 people in Pahalgam, in India's union territory of Jammu and Kashmir, which New Delhi blamed on a Pakistan-sponsored terrorist organization. Islamabad denied any involvement in the attack, with Pakistani top officials claiming the country was itself a 'victim of terrorism.' India insisted that it only targeted locations linked with terrorist organizations, and not Pakistani military or civilian targets. Islamabad, however, accused Delhi of targeting civilians. It later retaliated by attacking Indian military sites, leading to further escalation by both countries. After a brief but intense conflict, a ceasefire was announced on May 10.
Russia Today
5 days ago
- Russia Today
Police respond to shooting at US mall
Several people were wounded in a shooting inside a shopping mall in Waterbury, Connecticut, on Tuesday, police have reported. The shooting occurred at a shopping mall called the Brass Mill Center at approximately 4:40 p.m. 'All victims were transported to local hospitals and are currently receiving medical treatment,' Waterbury Police Chief Fernando Spagnolo told reporters at a press conference. 'There are no fatalities at this time.' 'We urge the public to avoid the area to allow emergency personnel to respond effectively and ensure everyone's safety,' the Waterbury Police Department said in a statement. It is not yet clear how many shooters were involved, and no arrests have been made. The police department responded to a shooting incident at the mall on Union Street at around 4:40 In June 2024, a gunman opened fire at a grocery store in Fordyce, Arkansas, killing four people and injuring ten others, including two police officers. In May 2023, a far-right extremist killed eight shoppers and wounded seven at a mall in Allen, Texas.
Russia Today
5 days ago
- Russia Today
Police respond to shooting at Connecticut mall
Multiple victims have been reported following a shooting incident inside a shopping mall in Waterbury, Connecticut, on Tuesday, police said. DETAILS TO FOLLOW
