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First Post
27-05-2025
- General
- First Post
How India is working to avert a marine disaster in Kerala
Three ICG capital ships and a pollution response vessel were deployed to contain a potential marine disaster after MSC ELSA 3 sank near Alappuzha. Tug boats aided in recovering 29 cargo containers and floating debris off Kerala's coast. read more Three capital ships, ICG Samarth, ICG Saksham, and ICG Vikram, were deployed off the coast of Kochi on Monday, and a pollution response vessel sailed from Mumbai to help prevent a marine disaster caused by chemical and oil-laden containers washing ashore from the Liberian ship MSC ELSA 3, which capsized and sank near Thottappally harbour in Alappuzha the previous morning. Tug boats were also used in the rapid response to transport the 29 cargo containers and other debris, including thermocol, powder, and textiles, that had been detected floating off the coast of Kerala. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Union shipping minister Sarbananda Sonowal, who took stock of the response at a meeting with the DG and secretary of shipping, wrote on X that all efforts were focused on 'complete salvage of marine fuel and other hazardous materials' transported in the containers. 'The pollution response vessel Sagar Prahari is en route to the site. Regular aerial surveillance is being carried out using Dornier aircraft equipped with the MSS 6000 system to monitor any oil spillage. All four company representatives of MSC have arrived in Kochi,' he said. The DG of Shipping is investigating the circumstances behind the Liberian vessel's catastrophic '26-degree list' (tilt) towards the starboard side while it was around 38 nautical miles southwest of Kochi. The vessel sank 14.6 nautical miles off Thottappally at 7:50 a.m. on Sunday. 'The logbook should say if there were any collisions or other impediments on the way. When exactly they realised the listing should find mention too,' an official stated. The mercantile marine department in Kochi has previously issued a pollution responsibility notice to the vessel owners, M/s MSC, under the Merchant Shipping Act of 1958. MSC has engaged TT Salvage to handle container recovery, oil removal, and environmental cleanup. CM Pinarayi Vijayan called another emergency meeting on Monday to assess the situation, following which his office announced a set of actions aimed at protecting the coastal population, avoiding an environmental disaster, and coordinating response mechanisms including state and national agencies. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
Time of India
26-05-2025
- General
- Time of India
Coast Guard, Kerala in race to stave off marine disaster
KOCHI: Three capital ships - ICG Samarth, ICG Saksham and ICG Vikram - were deployed off Kochi coast Monday and a pollution response vessel set sail from Mumbai to help stave off the threat of a marine disaster from chemical and oil-laden containers washing ashore from the Liberian ship MSC ELSA 3 that capsized and sank near Thottappally harbour in Alappuzha the previous morning. The accelerated response also involved tug boats to move the 29 cargo containers and assorted debris - thermocol, powder and textiles - spotted floating along the Kollam coast. Union shipping minister Sarbananda Sonowal, who took stock of the response at a meeting with the DG and secretary of shipping, wrote on X that all efforts were focused on "complete salvage of marine fuel and other hazardous materials" transported in the containers. "The pollution response vessel Sagar Prahari is en route to the site. Regular aerial surveillance is being carried out using Dornier aircraft equipped with the MSS 6000 system to monitor any oil spillage. All four company representatives of MSC have arrived in Kochi," he said. The DG of shipping is probing the circumstances in which the Liberian vessel reported a critical "26-degree list" (tilt) towards starboard side when it was around 38 nautical miles southwest of Kochi. The vessel sank 14.6 nautical miles off Thottappally at 7.50am on Sunday. "The logbook should say if there were any collisions or other impediments on the way. When exactly they realised the listing should find mention too," an official said. The mercantile marine dept in Kochi has already issued a pollution liability warning to the vessel owners, M/s MSC, under Merchant Shipping Act, 1958. MSC has appointed TT Salvage for container recovery, oil removal, and environmental clean-up. CM Pinarayi Vijayan convened another emergency meeting Monday to review the situation, after which his office outlined the series of steps aimed at safeguarding the coastal population, averting an environmental crisis, and coordinating response mechanisms involving state and national agencies.
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Business Standard
26-05-2025
- General
- Business Standard
Boat capsize: Kerala on high alert, efforts on to avert major marine crisis
All company representatives of MSC have arrived in Kochi and have been advised to visit both the Indian Coast Guard and MMD offices, Sonowal said Dhruvaksh Saha Shine Jacob New Delhi/Chennai Listen to This Article With Kerala being on high alert through a state-wide 'emergency' — after the capsize of cargo vessel MSC ELSA III off the Kochi coast — the Centre is also stepping up action. The Indian Coast Guard deployed three capital ships — ICG Samarth, ICG Saksham, and ICG Vikram — as part of an urgent multi-agency effort to prevent a marine pollution emergency. The Kerala government has declared a state-wide emergency, a coastal alert for districts along the Arabian Sea. Concerns increased over a possible leak of oil and hazardous chemicals after the 184-metre-long vessel, en route from Vizhinjam to Kochi,
India Gazette
26-05-2025
- General
- India Gazette
Sarbananda Sonowal reviews situation that arose from sunken ship off Kerala coast
New Delhi [India], May 26 (ANI): Minister of Ports, Shipping, and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal held a detailed review with DG Shipping, Secretary (Shipping) and other senior officials to assess the urgent measures being undertaken his ministry to address the situation arising from the capsizing of Liberian-flagged 'MSC ELSA III' container ship off the Kerala coast near Kochi. All 24 crew members of the Liberia-flagged container vessel have been rescued, which capsized around 38 nautical miles southwest off the Kochi coast on Saturday. The 184-metre-long ship had departed from Vizhinjam Port on May 23 and was expected to reach Kochi on May 24. 'We are fully committed to ensuring the complete salvage of marine fuel and other hazardous materials being transported in 13 IMDG containers. All crew members have been safely evacuated with the assistance of the Indian Coast Guard,' wrote Sarbananda Sonowal on X. 'Three ships - ICG Samarth, ICG Saksham and ICG Vikram have been deployed to the affected area. Additionally, the pollution response vessel Sagar Prahari departed from Mumbai today and is en route to the site,' the minister wrote. Regular aerial surveillance is being carried out using Dornier aircraft equipped with the MSS 6000 system to monitor any oil spillage. All four company representatives of MSC have arrived in Kochi and have been advised to visit both the Indian Coast Guard and MMD offices. The minister informed that MSC has initiated tracking of all beached containers and is deploying personnel to secure them in place. 'Salvors have been engaged and have arrived in Kerala. T&T Salvage is now in Kochi to coordinate the salvage operations. Coordination for container retrieval is ongoing between the salvor's expert team and the local administration,' Sonowal said. 'We are continuously monitoring the situation through DG (Shipping), Indian Coast Guard, Kerala State Disaster Management Authority, @ndmaindia, MSC & the Salvage Team. All possible measures are being taken to ensure immediate action is taken to protect the coastal environment from oil spills and any risks arising from the breached containers. @dgshipping_IN,' the X post added. A few containers from the sunken ship were spotted on the Kollam coast on Monday. The containers, red in colour, were spotted ashore, highlighting potential environmental and navigational hazards. (ANI)
Time of India
26-05-2025
- General
- Time of India
Three Indian Coast Guard ships deployed to tackle oil container ship incident off Kochi coast, says Sonowal
In the wake of the capsizing of cargo vessel MSC ELSA III off the Kerala coast near Kochi , the Indian Coast Guard on Monday deployed three capital ships — ICG Samarth , ICG Saksham , and ICG Vikram — as part of an urgent multi-agency effort to prevent a marine pollution disaster. "Held a detailed review with DG Shipping, Secretary (Shipping) and other senior officials to assess the urgent measures being undertaken by the ministry to address the situation arising from the capsizing of MSC ELSA III off the Kerala coast near Kochi. We are fully committed to ensuring the complete salvage of marine fuel and other hazardous materials being transported in 13 IMDG containers. All crew members have been safely evacuated with the assistance of the Indian Coast Guard," he wrote in a post on social media platform X. The union minister also confirmed that the pollution response vessel Sagar Prahari had departed from Mumbai and was en route to the site. Regular aerial surveillance is being carried out using Dornier aircraft equipped with the MSS 6000 system to detect and monitor oil spillage. "Three capital ships - ICG Samarth, ICG Saksham and ICG Vikram have been deployed to the affected area. Additionally, the pollution response vessel Sagar Prahari departed from Mumbai today and is en route to the site. Regular aerial surveillance is being carried out using Dornier aircraft equipped with the MSS 6000 system to monitor any oil spillage," he added. Container ship capsized with hazardous cargo The 184-metre-long MSC ELSA III, en route from Vizhinjam to Kochi, began listing dangerously on Saturday, May 24, and eventually capsized and sank the next day, about 38 nautical miles southwest of Kochi. It had reported a 26-degree starboard list and issued a distress call after taking on water. Live Events The vessel was carrying 640 containers, including 13 IMDG containers with hazardous chemicals and 12 containers of calcium carbide, a reactive substance used in fertiliser production and steelmaking. It was also laden with 84.44 metric tonnes of diesel and 367.1 metric tonnes of furnace oil, raising fears of a large-scale environmental crisis. Full crew rescued amid worsening conditions All 24 crew members aboard — including one Russian, 20 Filipinos, two Ukrainians, and one Georgian — were safely evacuated. The Indian Coast Guard rescued 21 crew members on May 24, while INS Sujata rescued the remaining three after the vessel had capsized. The Ministry of Defence stated the ship sank due to flooding and warned that the incident poses a threat to the 'sensitive marine ecosystem along Kerala's coast.' Statewide alert and emergency measures In response, the Kerala state government has declared a statewide emergency, with Chief Secretary A Jayathilak convening a high-level meeting. A coastal alert has been issued, particularly for districts along the Arabian Sea. Authorities have advised fishermen to remain ashore and warned the public not to approach or touch any oil slicks or containers that wash up. Some containers have already begun drifting to shore. A public advisory urges people to maintain a minimum distance of 200 metres from any suspicious materials and to contact emergency services via 112.
