Latest news with #Elsa3
The Hindu
29-05-2025
- General
- The Hindu
Danger in the sea: on Kerala and the MSC Elsa 3 sinking
On the afternoon of May 24, MSC Elsa 3, carrying more than 640 containers, started tilting off the coast of Kochi, apparently due to an operational problem. The nearly three-decade-old ship was said to be structurally safe. The crew abandoned the ship after unsuccessfully trying to right her. Now, Elsa 3 is lying at the bottom of the seabed 50 metres below. As per the cargo manifest, officials say the ship had 13 containers with hazardous goods. Twelve had calcium carbide, a reactive compound, and one had 'rubber solution'. Some 50 containers, many empty, were floating and getting tossed around by monsoon weather. Officials say the rubber solution has reacted with the seawater and accounts for the plastic pellets being found on the Kerala coast. Five containers with calcium carbide, another pollution hazard, are lying on the seabed and need to be safely disposed of before they cause damage. Some oil pollution has also been reported. There is as yet no clarity on how to safely dispose of the plastic pellets. Though containers have tremendously boosted world trade logistics, oversight and control of what each container that passes several hands, ships and yards has is a global problem. Besides the 600-odd containers still lodged inside Elsa 3's cargo space, some 365 tonnes of heavy fuel oil and 60 tonnes of diesel lie inside the ship's tanks. That much of the oil has not seeped out yet is fortuitous but there is every possibility of it happening if quick action is not taken. The Chennai coast was ravaged by 250 tonnes of heavy fuel oil from an oil tanker that collided with an LPG carrier in 2017. MSC Elsa 3 is a toxic dump that needs to be quickly disposed of. Salvers are being engaged and they will follow international insurance protocols. The National Oil Spill Disaster Contingency Plan (NOS-DCP) names the Coast Guard as the nodal agency for such responses. In Chennai, the response was delayed by several days and there was much confusion and a lack of coordination between agencies. In Kerala, however, there has been enough time to rig up an effective response. With ambitious plans for economic growth that will inevitably lead to a surge in ship traffic, the government has also planned to draw more national and global transshipment traffic into India's waters. India is only set to see a great number and variety of ships of varying cargoes on its coast in future. The Kerala response will show how well prepared India is to handle a major maritime disaster.
Hindustan Times
26-05-2025
- General
- Hindustan Times
Liberian ship sinks; leaking oil, cargo hazard sparks alert in Kerala
A cargo vessel carrying 640 containers, including 13 with hazardous materials, sank off the Kerala coast on Sunday, triggering fears of environmental damage along the coastline that prompted the state government to issue an alert, officials said, adding that all 24 members of the ship's crew have been rescued. The Liberian-flagged MSC ELSA 3 sank 14 nautical miles off the state's coast in the Arabian Sea around 7.50am on Sunday, almost a day after the ship developed a 26-degree starboard list –– marine term for tilt. The crew of the ship was rescued in a joint operation conducted by the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) and the Navy, the ministry of defence said in a statement. The Elsa 3 is operated by MSC, one of the biggest shipping companies in the world, according to a listing on the company's website. Amid concerns of oil from the ship's fuel tanks affecting the sensitive marine ecosystem along Kerala's coast, the ICG activated full pollution response preparedness, the ministry said. 'ICG aircraft equipped with advanced oil spill detection systems are conducting aerial surveillance and ICG ship Saksham carrying pollution response equipment remains deployed at the site,' it added. According to an ICG statement, the ship had 84.44 metric tonnes of diesel and 367.1 metric tonnes of furnace oil in its tanks along with the containers of hazardous cargo and calcium carbide –– a chemical that reacts dangerously with seawater to release highly flammable acetylene gas. The vessel, which departed for Kochi from Vizhinjam port on Friday, capsized due to flooding in one of the ship's holds. The coast guard rescued 21 of the vessel's 24 crew members –– including one Russian, 20 Filipinos, two Ukrainians, and one Georgian . The remaining members that stayed on board abandoned ship later and were rescued by INS Sujata. Coast Guard inspector general (Western region) Bhisham Sharma said, 'All crew remain safe and Coast Guard is assessing the situation and issuing an advisory to state authorities.' In the afternoon, Kerala chief secretary A Jayathilak convened a meeting to assess the situation. According to a release from the chief minister's office (CMO), the ship's fuel has started leaking and that around 100 containers may have fallen into the sea. 'Currently, the ICG is operating two vessels to prevent the oil from spilling and one Dornier aircraft to spray powder onto any spill. The containers drifting from the capsized vessel are likely to reach the coasts of Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Alappuzha and Ernakulam districts,' the release said. 'Since the oil spill can expand anywhere, warning alert has been issued throughout the coast of the state.' The state government urged the public not to touch foreign objects or containers in the sea or near the coast. Those spotting such containers must dial the policy emergency number 112, the release said. The state also prohibited fishing activities within a 20-nautical mile radius of the spot where the vessel capsized. The Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS), based in Hyderabad, said the spilled oil pollutant can reach the coastal stretch of Alappuzha, Ambalapuzha, Arattupuzha and Karunagappally within 36-48 hours of release. 'These coastal zones are at risk of contamination and should be given prompt attention to minimise potential environmental impact,' the agency said. The agency also said that based on simulation results from its Search and Rescue Aid Tool (SARAT), there is a 'high probability (45%) that overboard containers could drift towards a region covering the entire coastal district of Alappuzha'. To manage the floating containers, the state government has ordered the constitution of rapid response teams (RRTs) under its factories and boilers department. Two RRTs in districts south of Thrissur and one in the northern coastal districts have been formed to operate cranes and other machinery to manage containers in the sea and translocate them to safer areas, the statement from CMO said. Additional RRTs will be formed under the state pollution control board (PCB) if the oil spill nears the coast. The police and the state disaster management authority have been directed to provide assistance, it added. The administration said that ICG, Indian Navy and the ports department have been directed to deploy booms and skimmers for handling and removal of oil spills.
