Latest news with #DirectorateGeneralofShipping
Indian Express
3 days ago
- General
- Indian Express
Failure in ship's ballast water management system could have caused mishap off Kerala coast
Preliminary investigation shows the ship mishap off the Kerala coast could be due mechanical failure in the ship's ballast water management system, officials at the Directorate General of Shipping — India's nodal maritime authority – have said. Speaking to the media in Kochi three days after Liberian container ship ELSA 3 capsize sparked fears of an oil spill, Ajith Sukumaran, chief surveyor at the Directorate General of Shipping, said the mishap was still under investigation and is being 'deeply looked into from all angles'. The Liberia-flagged MSC ELSA 3, a 28-year-old vessel, was sailing from Vizhinjam port in Thiruvananthapuram to Kochi when it capsized around 25 km southwest of Alappuzha. The ship, which went down with more than 600 containers, was carrying 367.1 tonnes of very low sulfur fuel oil (VLSFO) and 84.44 tonnes of marine diesel fuel. 'But our preliminary inference is that it is connected with some kind of mechanical failure in the ship's ballast water management system, which should have ensured the stability of the vessel. It could be a failure or lack of understanding,' he said. The ballast water management system might not have worked properly, he said. 'That is why the ship listed (tilted) 26 degrees, which resulted in complete loss of power in the vessel, leading to incapacitation of the entire operation of the ship. Only a probe will reveal whether it could have been avoided or not,' he said. There is no evidence of any other incident — including any breach of hull – he said. On seaworthiness of the ship, the principal surveyor said there was no ceiling on how long a ship can be used. 'It depends upon the commercial decision of the ship owner. Otherwise, if a ship is certified as fit for operation by competent agencies, it is permitted to be operated on the Indian coast. The vessel, as per our investigation, has fully complied with international requirements,' he said.
Time of India
3 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
Mechanical failure in ballast tank led to cargo vessel capsize: DG Shipping
K ochi: A preliminary probe by the Directorate General of Shipping has found that a mechanical failure led to the sinking of the Liberian cargo vessel MSC ELSA 3 off Kochi on Sunday. A detailed investigation is underway to determine the exact cause. Director General of Shipping Shyam Jagannathan and chief surveyor Ajithkumar Sukumaran told reporters on Wednesday that the preliminary probe showed a technical failure in the ballast tank that led to the accident. The valves in the tank did not function properly, leading to a failure in the ship's electrical system and causing it to list, they said. The Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) is cooperating with the investigation, and it is unclear how long the investigation procedures will take, the officials said. The ship was operating in compliance with the regulations of the International Maritime Organization, and its insurance documentation was valid. They said the chief officer on the ship was new, and it would be investigated if his lack of experience also contributed to the accident. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like ¡Trading con IA en Chile ayuda a usuarios a obtener ganancias potenciales! Mainhubfb Más información Undo The voyage data recorder, which contains information like the ship's speed, direction, conversations among crew members, and communications with other ships, will be retrieved to obtain more details about the accident, they said. The Mercantile Marine Department (MMD), a statutory authority under DG Shipping, informed that there was no large-scale oil spill from the sunken vessel and the environmental threat it posed was being actively mitigated. Nautical advisor Capt Abul Kalam Azad and MMD Kochi principal officer Senthil Kumar, who also addressed the news conference, confirmed that the ship was carrying 640 containers, including 13 with hazardous material—calcium carbide and rubber chemicals, besides 367.1 tonnes of Very Low Sulphur Fuel Oil (VLSFO) and 84.44 tonnes of marine diesel fuel. The team said the oil recovery operation would be completed by July 3. Azad said oil recovery from the sunken vessel, retrieval of drifting containers and removal of beached containers would be their priority. A multi-beam sonar survey has been initiated to locate and assess the wreckage of the ship, and experts have planned capping of venting points. As many as 50 beached containers were identified by Wednesday, and the priority is to recover all of them within the next 48 hours. None of these containers contained hazardous material, and they were placed on the ship's deck, they said. Hazardous materials are present in 13 containers; 12 of these contain calcium carbide while one contains rubber chemicals. Of the 13, eight were inside the ship. The remaining five could be either on the ship's deck or on the seabed near the ship, they said. The officials said over 100 containers were reported to have fallen into the sea. The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) has deployed ships and aircraft for surveillance, and dispersants were being used under the National Oil Spill Disaster Contingency Plan. An onsite team in Kochi continues to monitor and manage pollution risks. High-range drones and precision scanning equipment are being used to detect and contain oil spills. A total of 108 personnel have been deployed for shoreline clean-up and container retrieval operations. In addition to these, 38 personnel have been deployed for emergency response in Thiruvananthapuram, Alappuzha and Kollam. These teams will work in coordination with the district disaster management authorities and district collectors. The shipping company has been instructed to establish a damage and liability claim desk to address the losses and liabilities related to the shipwreck.
Time of India
4 days ago
- General
- Time of India
Preliminary indications suggest wrong ballast operations could have led to sinking of MSC Elsa 3, ET Infra
Advt Advt By , ETInfra MUMBAI: Liberia, where the container ship MSC Elsa 3 that capsized and sank off the coast of Kochi on May 25 is registered, has conveyed to the Indian government in writing that it will not participate in the maritime casualty investigation , multiple sources said.'So, under India's Merchant Shipping Act, the Directorate General of Shipping, the maritime administration, will start a full-fledged maritime casualty investigation,' a government source it is the responsibility of the flag state of the ship (where the ship is registered) to conduct the casualty investigation irrespective of the location where the mishap has happened, according to international law and the Casualty Investigation Code of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), the UN agency tasked with regulating global is not known why Liberia chose not to participate in the casualty investigation involving MSC Elsa 3, a 28-year-old container ship owned by Mediterranean Shipping Company S. A., the world's largest container carrier by capacity and classed with authorities believe that 'wrong ballast operations ' that was not in consonance with load convention and stability calculations, could have led to the sinking of the ship that was enroute from Vizhinjam port to Cochin port Ballast operations involve using water in specialised tanks to manage a ship's stability, weight distribution, and buoyancy, which is crucial for safe navigation and cargo handling.'How can a ship, within 100 nautical miles from the coast, have a 5 percent tilt, which goes to 22 per cent and then 26 per cent before sinking,' said the source mentioned government has deployed four specialised oil spill containment vessels of the Indian Coast Guard to check potential oil spill from the sunken ship.'The problem now is the salvage response,' the source said. Mediterranean Shipping Company has been working with T&T Salvage , a US-based salvage and marine firefighting service provider.'Indian authorities have asked T&T for a salvage plan which is yet to be received,' the source 20 containers from the sunken ship have beached at different spots in Kerala and hundred others that are afloat could also hit the shores soon.'We are trying to deploy tugs and smaller boats to keep them off the coast,' the source Shipping Company is yet to make a statement on the incident.
NDTV
5 days ago
- General
- NDTV
Top Officer Told To Monitor Liberian Shipwreck Every 2 Hours: Minister
Mumbai: The Directorate General of Shipping has been directed to monitor the situation arising out of the capsizing and sinking of a Liberian cargo ship off the Kerala coast, at every two hours, Union Shipping Minister Sarbananda Sonowal said on Monday. Speaking with reporters after attending the 36th Foundation Day celebrations event here, Mr Sonowal, who is the Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways, said all steps have been taken, particularly to protect coastal life. A Liberian-flagged cargo container ship, which was sailing between the ports of Vizhinjam and Kochi, capsized and sank in the sea off the coast of Kerala on Sunday, leading to a significant oil spill. However, all crew members were rescued by the Indian Coast Guard and a Navy ship. According to PTI, the ship had a total of 643 containers on board, of which 73 were empty and 13 were carrying hazardous and dangerous goods, including calcium carbide -- a chemical that reacts violently with water to release highly flammable acetylene gas. "In this regard, we have already directed our DG shipping to monitor it (the situation) every two hours. They are sitting with the concerned agencies, particularly the Indian Coast Guard, Indian Navy and all others like Kerala Government, State and National Disaster Management Authority. They are all working together," Mr Sonowal said. All steps have been taken, particularly to protect the coastal life and environment, the minister said, adding "these are the two important areas which are being taken care of." Authorities on Monday stated that containers from the Liberian cargo ship have started washing ashore, prompting the authorities to urge the public to stay away from them. They said that some containers have been found along the coasts of southern Kollam and coastal Alappuzha districts. In the wake of the sinking of the ship, a high-level meeting was convened by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan to assess the situation. An advisory has been issued urging coastal residents and fishermen to remain vigilant. The cargo ship capsized and sank early on Sunday, leading to a significant oil spill. The leak has sparked a statewide alert, as fuel is drifting at a speed of around three kilometres per hour and could soon impact the ecologically sensitive Kerala coastline. According to the Indian Coast Guard (ICG), the sunken vessel had 84.44 metric tonnes of diesel and 367.1 metric tonnes of furnace oil in its tanks. Some containers were carrying dangerous substances such as calcium carbide, a chemical that reacts with seawater to release highly flammable acetylene gas, officials said. Meanwhile, a senior DGS official expressed hope that the deployment of the two specialised capital vessels for oil spill response would be able to contain the oil spill. "Three specific aspects have been addressed with regard to the incident. One is the containers that have reached, they have to be sequestered and they have to be addressed accordingly, also to ensure that there is no environmental damage done both to the coastline and to the coastal flows where these containers are," said the official. He said that in a capsized vessel, they are going to put a bunker as well, which needs to be extracted, and then salvage needs to be done. "The weather, unfortunately, is not favourable and we have to work against these constraints," he said. "We are doing coordinated, three-hourly planning. The Coast Guard has restricted the entire seafaring vessel,s and that was the first priority. Thereafter, they have deployed vessels especially for the oil spill response. They had two aerial vessels and basically now we have two specialized capital vessels which are basically for oil spills. Both the vessels are basically for oil spill response," the official said. The main oil is diesel, which is floated. There is an oil dispersion collector that is needed. It is deployed there. Otherwise, it is not possible because of the spread in terms of the area, he said, adding, "I think that should not be a concern. Moreover, if the weather opens up slightly favourably, we should have a natural evaporation of 20 to 25 per cent." The official also said that the only issue is that the DG Shipping is yet to get the recovery plan from the salvage party.
Mint
5 days ago
- General
- Mint
Kerala ship sinking: DG Shipping directed to monitor situation every 2 hrs, says Sonowal
Mumbai, May 26 (PTI) The Directorate General of Shipping has been directed to monitor the situation arising out of the capsizing and sinking of a Liberian cargo ship off the Kerala coast, at every two hours, Union Shipping Minister Sarbananda Sonowal said on Monday. Speaking with reporters after attending the 36th Foundation Day celebrations event here, Sonowal, who is the Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways, said all steps have been taken particularly to protect coastal life. A Liberian-flagged cargo container ship which was sailing between the ports of Vizhinjam and Kochi capsized and sank in the sea off the coast of Kerala on Sunday, leading to a significant oil spill. However, all crew members were rescued by the Indian Coast Guard and a Navy ship. According to official sources, the ship had a total of 643 containers on board, of which 73 were empty and 13 were carrying hazardous and dangerous goods, including calcium carbide -- a chemical that reacts violently with water to release highly flammable acetylene gas. "In this regard, we have already directed our DG shipping to monitor it (the situation) every two hours. They are sitting with the concerned agencies, particularly the Indian Coast Guard, Indian Navy and all others like Kerala Government, State and National Disaster Management Authority. They all are all working together," Sonowal said. All steps have been taken particularly to protect the coastal life and environment, the minister said, adding "these are the two important areas which are being taken care of." Authorities on Monday stated that containers from the Liberian cargo ship have started washing ashore, prompting the authorities to urge the public to stay away from them. They said that some containers have been found along the coasts of southern Kollam and coastal Alappuzha districts. In the wake of the sinking of the ship, a high-level meeting was convened by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan to assess the situation. An advisory has been issued urging coastal residents and fishermen to remain vigilant. The cargo ship capsized and sank early on Sunday, leading to a significant oil spill. The leak has sparked a statewide alert, as fuel is drifting at a speed of around three kilometres per hour and could soon impact the ecologically sensitive Kerala coastline. According to the Indian Coast Guard (ICG), the sunken vessel had 84.44 metric tonnes of diesel and 367.1 metric tonnes of furnace oil in its tanks. Some containers were carrying dangerous substances such as calcium carbide, a chemical that reacts with seawater to release highly flammable acetylene gas, officials said. Meanwhile, a senior DGS official expressed hope that with the deployment of the two specialized capital vessels for oil spill response should be able to contain the oil spill. 'Three specific aspects have been addressed with regards to the incident. One is the containers that have reached, they have to be sequestered and they have to be addressed accordingly, also to ensure that there is no environmental damage done both to the coastline and to the coastal flows where these containers are,' said the official. He said that in a capsized vessel they are going to put a bunker as well which needs to be extracted and then salvage needs to be done. 'The weather unfortunately is not favourable and we have to work against these constraints,' he said. 'We are doing coordinated, three hourly planning. The Coast Guard has restricted the entire seafaring vessel and that was the first priority. Thereafter, they have deployed vessels especially for the oil spill response. They had two aerial vessels and basically now we have two specialized capital vessels which are basically for oil spills. Both the vessels are basically for oil spill response,' the official said. The main oil is diesel which is floated. There is an oil dispersion collector that is needed. It is deployed there. Otherwise, it is not possible because of the spread in terms of the area, he said adding, 'I think that should not be a concern. Moreover, if the weather opens up slightly favourably, we should have a natural evaporation of 20 to 25 per cent.' The official also said that the only issue is that the DG Shipping is yet to get the recovery plan from the salvage party.
