Container Ship Carrying "Hazardous Cargo" Sinks off Indian coast
Taarek Refaat
Indian authorities announced on Sunday that a Liberian-flagged container ship sank off the coast of Kerala, southern India, while carrying a cargo of hazardous materials.
The Indian Ministry of Defense confirmed in a statement that all 24 crew members, including Georgian, Russian, Ukrainian, and Filipino nationals, had been rescued.
The 184-meter-long MSC ELSA 3 had sailed from Vizhinjam Port to Kochi Port before sending out a distress call on Saturday. Indian Navy aircraft immediately spotted lifebuoys at the site, where the ship was listing about 70 kilometers from Kochi.
The statement explained that the ship was carrying 640 containers, including 13 containers containing dangerous goods and 12 containers containing calcium carbide, which is used in the fertilizer and steel industries. The statement also indicated that the ship was carrying approximately 370 tons of fuel and oil, but no oil spill has been recorded so far.
The Ministry of Defense did not disclose the nature of the other hazardous materials on board, while the potential environmental impact of the sinking is being assessed.
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