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United News of India
3 days ago
- General
- United News of India
Oil, diesel leakage: 146 personnel deployed shoreline cleanup, retrieval of containers
Kochi, May 29 (UNI) Citing oil and diesel leakage from containers, 146 personnel have been deployed for shoreline cleanup and container retrieval operations for the ongoing response to the capsizing of Liberian flagged container ship MSC ELSA 3, off the Kerala coast on May 25, 2025. "108 personnel have been deployed for shoreline cleanup and container retrieval operations. An additional 38 personnel have been mobilized for emergency response in Thiruvananthapuram, Alappuzha, and Kollam," Capt. Abul Kalam Azad, Nautical Advisor to the Government of India, has said. The 184-meter-long ship built in Germany in 1997 was carrying 640 containers, including 13 containing hazardous materials. Over 100 containers are reported to have been lost at sea, and several have washed ashore in Alappuzha, Kollam, Ernakulam, and Thiruvananthapuram. These efforts are being coordinated with the District Disaster Management Authorities (DDMAs) and District Collectors of the affected coastal areas. The vessel was carrying 367.1 tonnes of Very Low Sulfur Fuel Oil (VLSFO) and 84.44 tonnes of marine diesel fuel. The environmental threat posed by the incident is being actively mitigated. The Indian Coast Guard has deployed ships and aircraft for aerial surveillance. Dispersants are being applied under the National Oil Spill Disaster Contingency Plan. Capt Abul Kalam Azad outlined three top operational priorities: Oil recovery from the sunken vessel, Retrieval of drifting containers and Removal of beached containers. The oil recovery operation is currently underway, with the salvage team setting July 3, 2025, as the completion target. So far, 50 containers have been identified from seven different coastal locations. The priority is to recover all of them within the next 48 hours. Ajithkumar Sukumaran, Chief Surveyor to the Government of India, stated, 'The Ministry and DG Shipping are fully cognizant of the magnitude and complexity of the situation. All mechanisms are in place to address the issue and avert any further mishap.' Senthil Kumar, Principal Officer, Mercantile Marine Department, reassured the public, saying, 'While minor oil traces have been detected, there has been no major oil spill. All traces found along the coast are being cleaned up through coordinated efforts.' Within 6 hours of the incident, DG Shipping convened a coordination meeting to avert a potential environmental disaster. Prompt rescue efforts ensured the safety of all 24 crew members. To date, 8 inter-agency coordination meetings have been held, issuing clear directives to all stakeholders. An onsite team in Kochi continues to monitor and manage pollution risks. High-range drones and precision scanning equipment are in use to detect and contain oil traces. The Kerala State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA) is working closely with DG Shipping, deploying trained volunteers for cleanup activities, said Shyam Jagannathan, IAS, Director General of Shipping and Additional Secretary to the Government of India; Officials reiterated that there is no large-scale oil spill and urged coastal residents not to panic. All visible traces are being addressed swiftly and scientifically. Local administrations are in constant touch with MMD and DG Shipping, and all container recovery and cleanup measures are under strict monitoring. UNI DS BM
The Hindu
3 days ago
- General
- The Hindu
Technical failure in ballast water management could have led to sinking of ship, say officials
Preliminary findings of the probe into the sinking of container vessel MSC ELSA 3 off the Kerala coast with 640 containers on board point to technical failure in ballast water management, which in turn caused the ship to tilt over 20 degrees and sink, officials of the Shipping Ministry and the Mercantile Marine department (MMD) said here on Wednesday. The officials included Director General of Shipping Shyam Jagannathan; Nautical Advisor to the Government of India Capt. Abul Kalam Azad, Chief Surveyor of the Directorate General of Shipping Ajith Sukumaran, and Principal Officer of the MMD's Kochi office J. Senthil Kumar. Mr. Jagannathan said none of the 50 containers that were washed ashore along the 120-km coastline of Alappuzha, Kollam and Thiruvananthapuram during the past few days had any hazardous cargo like calcium carbide. Most containers were empty, while the others had cotton bales and plastic pellets. The containers will be recovered in two days and disposed of. 'No sabotage' The prime focus now is on recovering oil and other pollutants from the vessel, followed by containers which are said to have cargo like ethylene polymers. The ship's owner firm MSC has roped in global firms with expertise in retrieving such cargo, while the Indian Coast Guard's specialised oil spill response team has been deployed to prevent damage to marine resources. There are internationally binding norms to settle insurance claims and compensate fishers from the Kerala coast for their loss of livelihood, he said and added that prima facie there was no reason to suspect sabotage. Terming the sinking incident as the largest along the Indian coast, Mr. Sukumaran said that preliminary inference pointed to mechanical failure in ballast water management, a safety precaution that is taken in all ships to overcome the effect of 'rolling and pitching' while on the sea, and the subsequent loss of power. This could have been caused by the malfunctioning of the ballast management valves. Old ships On several shipping firms deploying old vessels to Indian ports (the sunk ship was 28 years old), he said many stakeholders had expressed concern about the matter. Steps were under way to revise safety and other norms in this regard. The officials said that although the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) had not issued any age-related norms for ships, there were concerns about the operational efficiency of older vessels. Mr. Azad explained how a team of salvage specialists, naval architects, chemists, oil spill specialists, and divers was deployed to salvage the vessel and the containers, and to contain the effects of oil spillage and pollution. A total of four tugs have been mobilised as part of this. On the delay in officially declaring the contents of 13 containers having 'hazardous' cargo, he said the owner of the ship had said that they contained 'rubber chemicals' which were non-hazardous. While five of them were on the ship's deck, eight were secured within the vessel's 'cargo hold' area. According to the plan, oil spill in the vicinity of the sinking spot can be cleared by July 3. The ship was carrying 367 tonnes of very low sulfur fuel oil and 84 tonnes of marine diesel fuel.
