India's Kerala state on high alert as vessel with hazardous cargo sinks off its coast
The Liberia-flagged MSC ELSA3 ship was travelling from Vizhinjam on India's southern tip to Kochi when it capsized about 38 nautical miles off Kerala on Saturday, officials said, adding that all 24 crew members had been rescued.
The entire ship has since been "submerged", the Kerala chief minister's office said in a statement on Sunday without elaborating on the cause of the incident.
"The Coast Guard is taking steps to block the oil with two ships. A Dornier aircraft is also being used to spray oil-destroying powder on the oil slick," the statement said.
The vessel was carrying 640 containers, including 13 with "hazardous cargo" and 12 with calcium carbide, the Indian coast guard said, without disclosing the contents of the containers that fell into the sea.
All 24 crew members on board were rescued, with the Indian coast guard and a navy patrol boat collecting the sailors, who were from Georgia, Russia, Ukraine and the Philippines.
Calcium carbide is used in the chemical industry, including for fertiliser production and steelmaking.
Cyprus-based MSC Shipmanagement, which owns the vessel, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Kerala coast has been put on high alert, with local coastal bodies instructed not to touch or go near the containers - some of which began washing up on beaches on Monday - and fishermen advised not to venture into the sea.
Authorities in the state's Kollam region have encouraged people living nearby to move to safer places.
Accidental oil spills in the ocean can have far-reaching effects, putting marine ecosystems to the local fishing industry at risk.
The collision of a BW LPG vessel and a local ship carrying heavy fuel oil caused a similar oil spill in 2017 near the southern city of Chennai, which harmed aquatic life and affected the livelihood of thousands of fishermen.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
3 days ago
- Straits Times
Countries race for late breakthrough in deadlocked plastic pollution talks
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox FILE PHOTO: Piles of plastic trash are transported to be sorted at the waste sorting plant of recycling company Remondis in Erftstadt, Germany, August 12, 2025. REUTERS/Jana Rodenbusch/File Photo GENEVA - Talks to create the world's first legally binding treaty to tackle plastic pollution are at risk of ending without a deal as countries race to find a potential compromise on the final day of negotiations in Geneva. Talks headed into their final hours on Thursday after countries who want an ambitious plastics treaty threw out the text proposed on Wednesday. States pushing for a comprehensive treaty, including Panama, Kenya, France and Britain, shared frustration that key articles on the full life cycle of plastic pollution from the production of polymers to the disposal of waste, as well as the harm to health, had been removed entirely from the text. Oil-producing nations are against curbs on the production of virgin plastics derived from petroleum, coal, and gas, while others want it to be limited and to have stricter controls over plastic products and hazardous chemicals. "It's proving unlikely all countries will be able to bridge their differences," said Zaynab Sadan of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), adding that agreement was as far away as it had ever been in nearly three years of talks. Panama described the new draft text as "repulsive" and called for a complete rewrite. Saudi Arabia, which is resisting major curbs, said nothing could be agreed until the treaty's scope is clearly defined. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Jalan Bukit Merah fire: PMD battery could have started fatal blaze, says SCDF Singapore askST: What to do in the event of a fire at home? Singapore 4 housebreaking suspects taken to Bukit Timah crime scene under police escort Asia AirAsia flight from KL to Incheon lands at the wrong airport in South Korea Singapore Reformative training for teen who cheated man of $47k Rolex watch on former stepdad's instructions Opinion Could telco consolidation spell the end of attractive mobile plans? Asia Strong India-Singapore ties key to economic growth amid 'volatile landscape': DPM Gan Asia Citizenship for foreign talent: How this footballer from Brazil became Vietnam's favourite 'Son' More than 1,000 delegates have gathered in Geneva for the sixth round of talks, after a meeting of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC-5) in South Korea late last year ended without a deal. The OECD warns that without intervention, plastic production will triple by 2060, further choking oceans, harming health, and exacerbating climate change. "It will be very important to spend every single hour of the last day of negotiation finding a good text that can deliver on the promise to end plastic pollution," said Giulia Carlini, a Senior Attorney for the Environmental Health Program of the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL). COMPROMISE Norwegian Minister of Climate and Environment Andreas Bjelland Eriksen, co-chair of the High Ambition Countries group, told Reuters that all parties need to compromise. "We are willing to discuss all articles, three, six, for example, to be able to create the package that can be good enough for everyone," he said, pointing to potential openness to re-discussing restrictions on chemicals and production. "We're optimistic ... We think this can be really good for our industry, society, and for the environment," Ross Eisenberg, president of America's Plastic Makers, which is part of the American Chemistry Council, told Reuters. The Council, which supports a deal without limits on plastic production, warned that the U.S. might not ratify a treaty containing provisions to ban chemicals or restrict plastic production. However, Colombian lawmaker Juan Carlos Loazada urged that no deal would be better than a watered down deal. Some 300 businesses, including Unilever, have pressed for an ambitious treaty that harmonizes rules globally. "If we don't get that degree of harmonization, we risk further fragmentation ... and higher costs," Ed Shepherd, Senior Global Sustainability Manager at Unilever, told Reuters. REUTERS
Straits Times
3 days ago
- Straits Times
askST: What to do in the event of a fire at home?
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox In 2025 so far, at least eight fire-related deaths have been reported. SINGAPORE – The number of people dying in fires in Singapore has been going up. There were three such deaths in 2023 and five in 2024. In 2025 so far, at least eight fire-related deaths have been reported. Two of the deaths were from a fire that broke out in a Bukit Merah flat on Aug 13. Q: What should you do if a fire breaks out in your home? In the event of a fire, do not panic. Instead, alert others by shouting, and evacuate the room or area. Call 995 and activate the nearest fire alarm. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Jalan Bukit Merah fire: PMD battery could have started fatal blaze, says SCDF Singapore 4 housebreaking suspects taken to Bukit Timah crime scene under police escort Asia AirAsia flight from KL to Incheon lands at the wrong airport in South Korea Singapore Reformative training for teen who cheated man of $47k Rolex watch on former stepdad's instructions Opinion Could telco consolidation spell the end of attractive mobile plans? Asia Strong India-Singapore ties key to economic growth amid 'volatile landscape': DPM Gan Asia Citizenship for foreign talent: How this footballer from Brazil became Vietnam's favourite 'Son' If possible, close the door of the affected room to contain the fire and turn off the gas mains if you can reach them. You should attempt to fight the fire only if you can do so without endangering yourself or others. Ways to extinguish a fire include using a suitable fire extinguisher or hose reel. If the room is smoke-logged, cover your nose and mouth with a wet cloth and avoid inhaling through the mouth. Get down, keep close to the ground and crawl towards the point of escape under the smoke. If you are trapped, get to a safe room that preferably has open windows, good ventilation and overlooks a road. Shut the door and seal the gap beneath it with fabric to prevent smoke from entering the room. Get to the window and shout for help. Do not attempt to jump out of the building. If your clothes catch fire, drop to the floor immediately and roll from side to side to smother the flames while covering your face. During evacuation, head to the ground floor in an orderly manner using the stairs. Do not use the lift. If you live in a super high-rise residential building with more than 40 storeys and are too far from the ground floor, proceed to the nearest refuge floor instead. Q: What is a refuge floor? A refuge floor is a special floor that serves as a safe holding area so residents do not have to travel many floors down to leave the building in case of a fire. Refuge floors are generally provided at an interval of not more than 20 storeys. They are designed to have natural ventilation and are made of fire-resistant materials. Such floors can be identified by 'Evacuee Holding Area' signs found on the walls around the staircase areas. Q: What to do when there is a fire in your neighbour's home? If your neighbour's home is on fire, alert others by shouting, and call 995. You can try to help your neighbours escape, but should do so only if it does not risk your own safety , said fire safety experts. If intending to enter the affected unit to help, you should also ensure that you are wearing appropriate footwear as there may be shattered glass that cracked from the heat. Those on the same floor and the two floors above an affected unit should evacuate. The Singapore Civil Defence Force said it is generally safe for occupants of the other floors to remain in their own units with the windows and doors closed. But they should follow the instructions of the authorities if they say evacuation is required. Q: What are some fire safety guidelines you can follow? Common corridors must have at minimum a 1.2m-wide clear passage that is to be unobstructed at all times. Placing or storing objects at staircases and staircase landings is strictly not allowed. Items should also not be placed within riser and hose reel compartments. Access to the landing valves and risers at common areas must not be obstructed. The fire alarm system must be kept on at all times. Fire safety equipment must be regularly serviced and maintained. Q: What can you do to prevent fires? Do not leave cooking unattended. Turn off cooking appliances and unplug them when not in use. Keep flammable products and combustible materials away from heat sources. Do not throw burning embers and cigarette butts into rubbish chutes. Do not place window curtains or combustible materials near prayer altars, stoves or lighted materials. Keep lighted candles away from paper or cardboard decorations, curtains and furnishings. Do not overload electrical outlets. Switch off electrical appliances when they are not in use. Check for broken wires and exposed wiring. If any are found, have the wires replaced immediately. Keep lighters, matches and candles away from children. Do not leave batteries or devices to charge unattended for an extended period of time or overnight. Do not tamper with, modify, or attempt to repair batteries or devices on your own. Stop using the battery if you notice any damage or deformities. Keep entryways, common corridors and staircases free from obstructions. Fatal fires in 2025 As at August, eight people have died in four fires in 2025. This is an average of one fire death per month. Family of three die in Hougang fire in January No foul play was suspected. ST PHOTO: SHINTARO TAY A family of three died in a fire that broke out on Jan 9 in a unit at Block 971 Hougang Street 91. The bodies of the couple and their 18-year-old daughter were found inside one of the bedrooms. Neighbours had described the family as hoarders who lived in a cluttered five-room flat. No foul play was suspected. Australian girl dies after River Valley cooking school fire in April The fire broke out on April 8 at a shophouse in River Valley Road where education and enrichment classes for children are conducted. ST PHOTO: KELVIN CHNG A 10-year-old Australian girl died in hospital after a River Valley Road shophouse that housed a cooking school caught fire on April 8. Another 21 people, consisting of six adults and 15 children, were injured. The authorities later said there were fire safety breaches found at the three-storey shophouse at 278 River Valley Road, including unauthorised partitions. Two die in Toa Payoh fire in July The cause of the fire is being investigated. PHOTO: LIANHE ZAOBAO A man and woman were found dead after a fire on July 22 at Block 173 Toa Payoh Lorong 1. Firefighters had found them unresponsive inside the unit and they were pronounced dead at the scene after being carried out. The cause of the fire is being investigated. Couple die in Bukit Merah fire on Aug 13 The aftermath of the fire on Aug 13. ST PHOTO: CHONG JUN LIANG A couple in their 30s were found unconscious in the kitchen after a fire broke out in a flat at Block 106 Jalan Bukit Merah on Aug 13. Both were taken to hospital, where they died.
CNA
7 days ago
- CNA
Indigenous communities plead for action at plastic pollution talks
GENEVA: Indigenous communities from North America are at talks on a global treaty on plastic pollution in Geneva, pleading the case for the environment they depend upon, which is slowly being choked by microplastics. In the grounds of the United Nations headquarters, overlooking Lake Geneva and the Alps beyond, a chant suddenly drifted through the humid summer air: a "water song". Standing barefoot in a circle, six women and a young man from multiple North American Indigenous communities decided to do a spontaneous purification ritual. A melancholic second chant follows, dedicated to the well-being "until the seventh generation" of "all the delegates" from the 184 countries attempting to thrash out what would be the first international treaty on tackling the worldwide ever-growing scourge of plastic pollution. The UN-hosted talk s, which began last Tuesday, resume on Monday for four more days, with oil-producing states and the so-called ambitious group of nations still far apart on what the treaty should encompass. The young man in the middle of the circle, wearing a hat with two feathers attached, hands each of the six women a bowl containing burning seal fat and plant powders. With both hands, Suzanne Smoke, from the Williams Treaties First Nations in Ontario, Canada, moved as if to catch the rising smoke, rubbing it on her face and body. "WE CARRY KNOWLEDGE" Panganga Pungowiyi, an activist with the Indigenous Environmental Network, was also in the circle. She comes from Alaska, near the Bering Strait. She is asking negotiators to craft a plastic pollution treaty that ensures justice, particularly for the most vulnerable communities, she told AFP. "We carry knowledge; it's our responsibility -- our duty -- to share the information given to us by the ecosystems," Pungowiyi said, explaining her presence at the talks. Alaska is affected by toxic chemicals, some of which come from plastic or from oil exploration. "Toxic products travel to the north, through ocean currents and air currents," she said. Henri Bourgeois Costa, an environmental and plastic pollution expert at the Tara Ocean Foundation, explained Alaska's predicament. "Given the functioning of the major ecosystem cycles, Alaskan populations are already the most affected by mercury and PCB (polychlorinated biphenyl) pollution - industrial heavy metals now banned in developed countries - even though Alaska doesn't use them," he told AFP. The currents, which brought plenty of nutrients and schools of fish to the northwestern US state's residents, are now also bringing vast quantities of microplastics, he said. CAR TYRES AND SALMON A 2020 study from Washington State University demonstrated that a chemical additive used in the manufacture of car tyres, 6PPD, had "deleterious effects on the reproduction of salmon", one of the most widespread fish in Alaska, Bourgeois Costa said. A compound derived from 6PPD - a preservative used to slow tyre degradation - comes off the rubber onto the roads, and gets into the water cycle, the study showed. "No more fish - no more seals: no more food," Pungowiyi said. People can see the diseases suffered by birds and mammals in the surrounding environment, which ultimately go on to affect their own children, she said. "We are exposed through food, water and forages, because we forage for our food," said Pungowiyi. "IF ANIMALS DIE, WE DIE" Aakaluk Adrienne Blatchford, an activist from a small Alaskan village, who came to the Geneva talks with financial support from an association, put it bluntly: "If animals die, we die." She spoke at a conference staged on the sidelines of the negotiations, which are struggling to find a consensus that would stop the amount of plastic pollution from growing. "We rely on unhealthy products," Blatchford said, adding: "It's becoming harder and harder to maintain our food security." And "there is no alternative", she added, with prices as high as "$76 for an imported frozen chicken" at the supermarket. This is a trap for economically fragile populations living in "a symbiotic relationship with the world", she said. "We need a collective decision on how to handle this crisis," she insisted, hoping that the treaty will include a list of banned chemical additives. The plastics treaty talks are being held inside the UN's Palais des Nations complex. During the ritual, held beneath a tree in the grounds outside, Blatchford stood with her eyes closed, tears rolling down her face.
