Coast Guard rescues crew as Liberian cargo ship lists sharply off Kochi
MUMBAI: A large-scale rescue operation was launched on Saturday by the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) after MSC ELSA 3, a Liberian cargo ship, listed dangerously on Friday, approximately 38 nautical miles southwest off Kochi. The ICG is headquartered in Mumbai.
At around 1.25 pm on Saturday, the vessel's operator, MSC Ship Management, informed Indian authorities about the incident and sought immediate assistance. The ICG swiftly initiated rescue efforts, deploying ships and aircraft in the vicinity to provide aerial support. To support the evacuation process, ICG aircraft dropped additional life rafts near the distressed ship.
Of the 24 crew members on board, 21 abandoned the vessel and got onto life rafts. Nine were rescued and put aboard a Singaporean vessel, Han Yi, while 12 were put on Arnvesh, an ICG ship. Coast Guard officials on Saturday night said they were planning to rescue the captain, chief engineer and second engineer who remained on board. 'They were reluctant to leave because they will be required once the salvage starts,' said Coast Guard inspector-general (West) Bhisham Sharma. 'We have told them that we can let them board again if the need arises.'
The director-general of shipping, in coordination with ICG, issued directives to the MSC Ship Management to provide urgent salvage services for the vessel. The developing situation on Saturday was being monitored closely by the ICG to prevent loss of life and damage to the environment, said a press note.
'When we got the first call, we sent our Dornier plane from Kochi to survey the situation,' said IG Bhisham Sharma. 'Coast Guard and other ships were also sent to the spot and 21 crew members were rescued. Containers on top of the ship had fallen down and were floating. This is a navigational hazard, as some ships could dash against them. We have alerted the local administration and issued warnings to other ships.'
Meanwhile, the Directorate General of Shipping, in coordination with the Coast Guard, directed the vessel's managers to arrange for urgent salvage services to stabilise the situation. This was confirmed by Sharma.
Captain Mahendra Bhasin did not respond to calls from this newspaper.
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