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Boat capsize: Kerala on high alert, efforts on to avert major marine crisis
All company representatives of MSC have arrived in Kochi and have been advised to visit both the Indian Coast Guard and MMD offices, Sonowal said
Dhruvaksh Saha Shine Jacob New Delhi/Chennai
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With Kerala being on high alert through a state-wide 'emergency' — after the capsize of cargo vessel MSC ELSA III off the Kochi coast — the Centre is also stepping up action.
The Indian Coast Guard deployed three capital ships — ICG Samarth, ICG Saksham, and ICG Vikram — as part of an urgent multi-agency effort to prevent a marine pollution emergency.
The Kerala government has declared a state-wide emergency, a coastal alert for districts along the Arabian Sea.
Concerns increased over a possible leak of oil and hazardous chemicals after the 184-metre-long vessel, en route from Vizhinjam to Kochi,
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He adds that such studies are usually conducted for about three years and should be extended if contaminants are detected. Joint studies Until May 27, ICAR's Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute scientists collected water and sediment samples from 12 shores where containers were washed up. These were in Ernakulam, Alappuzha, and Kollam districts. 'The analysis will take time, but preliminary observations don't indicate oil slicks,' says Ratheesh Kumar R, team member and senior scientist. From May 28, the fisheries institute, the Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services, and the National Institute of Oceanography are conducting a 10-day vessel-based survey. 'We will collect water and sediment samples from different depths of the sea and measure water quality, alkalinity, oil content, biota, etc. We will also collect fish from 8-10 landing centres and look for any chemicals, oil, or hydrocarbons,' Ratheesh Kumar said. The survey locations would be selected based on dynamic maps by the ocean information services centre that project the oil drift based on wind and current directions. The fisheries institute will continue the study for at least six months, though the sampling frequency may be lower, Ratheesh Kumar said.
