Kerala Govt to form rapid response teams to handle containers, oil spills from Liberia container ship that sunk off Kochi coast
The State government has put the nine coastal districts of Kerala on alert and decided to constitute rapid response teams (RRTs) given the high possibility of drifting containers and oil spill from the Liberia-flagged vessel, MSC Elsa 3 that had capsized in the Arabian Sea, washing ashore.
The RRTs will be deployed in all coastal districts for the safe removal of the containers and oil slicks, the State government said after a high-level meeting convened by Chief Secretary A. Jayathilak in Thiruvananthapuram on Sunday. The meeting approved a set of measures for handling the contingency.
Two RRTs each under the supervision of the Factories and Boilers Department will be deployed in Thrissur and the southern coastal districts. One RRT each will be deployed in the northern coastal districts. The RRTs will be equipped with excavators and cranes for handling the cargo. The Kerala State Pollution Control Board will lead two RRTs each in Thrissur and the southern coastal districts and one RRT each in the northern ones for handling oil slicks from the vessel.
It is estimated that the containers have a higher probability of washing ashore in Alappuzha, Kollam, Ernakulam and Thiruvananthapuram districts, according to the government.
The District Disaster Management Authorities, the police and other departments have been directed to provide all support to the RRTs.
Coast Guard, Navy, and the Ports Department have been directed to deploy booms and skimmers for containing and removing any oil spills that approach the Kerala coast. Priority is being given to the safety of the public and the environment, and protecting the fisheries sector, the government said.
The government has also issued directions to the local bodies to ensure that the public keep a safe distance from the containers or suspicious objects that have floated ashore. The public has been asked to maintain a distance of at least 200 metres from such objects and also call the emergency number 112 to alert the authorities. Fishing has been prohibited within 20 nautical miles of the sunken ship. Fishers also have been urged to call 112 on sighting the containers.
According to the State government, the ship has sunk 14.6 nautical miles off Kerala. It is estimated that around 100 containers have fallen overboard from the vessel. The ship's fuel too has leaked, the government said.
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