Kerala shipwreck: Kanniyakumari Collector inspects plastic pellet collection from beach

The Hindu

6 hours ago

Kanniyakumari District Collector R. Alagumeena inspected the ongoing cleaning of the nurdles from the Chinnavilai beach in the western part of the district on Monday (June 9, 2025).
After MSC Elsa 3, a Liberian container vessel, sank off Kochi coast on May 25 last due to suspected engine failure, the containers with logs, cashew, plastic pellets etc. also went down. As some of the damaged containers were washed ashore, the nurdles stuffed in the massive steel structure were also brought to shores.
When the fishermen sounded alarm saying the 'chemicals' in the containers had polluted the sea, the district administration, which roped in experts for cleaning these plastic products, made it clear that there was no need for panic since the debris washed ashore were of non-toxic nature.
As the remains of damaged containers were washed ashore, the public collected the cashew while undisclosed contents of a container were handed over to the Department of Customs, Thoothukudi. Since the plastic pellets were removed from the beaches of several coastal hamlets in the western Kanniyakumari district by the personnel deployed by the district administration, the bags were kept in the local bodies.
'We are taking every possible step to remove the debris from the sunken ship and hence there is no need for worry or panic,' said Ms. Alagumeena, who also visited the room at Muttom private fishing harbour, in which the collected plastic pellets have been stacked.