Latest news with #Liberian-flagged
The Hindu
3 hours ago
- General
- The Hindu
Debris from the sunken cargo vessel affects the coast along 22 villages in Kanniyakumari district
A total of 22 coastal villages across the Killiyoor and Kalkulam taluks of Kanniyakumari district have been affected so far by the debris that washed ashore from the sunken Liberian-flagged cargo vessel, MSC ELSA-3, off the Kerala coast on May 24. The debris included a container. The vessel was carrying 640 containers, including 13 with hazardous cargo and 12 with calcium carbide. It was also loaded with 84.44 metric tonnes of diesel and 367.1 metric tonnes of furnace oil. While the initial impact of the incident was felt along the coast of Kerala, plastic pellets, wooden logs, and cashew nuts have begun washing ashore in the villages of Kanniyakumari in the past three days. Kanniyakumari district has 42 coastal villages: 16 in the Killiyoor taluk, 13 in the Kalkulam taluk, and 13 in the Agasteeswaram taluk. Of them, 12 villages in Killiyoor and 10 in Kalkulam have reported debris having been washed ashore from the sunken ship. Large quantities of bags of plastic pellets and loose nurdles have washed ashore at Neerodi, Eraviputhenthurai, Enayam, Chinnathurai, Thoothoor, Periyavilai, Chinnavilai, Kadiyapattinam, Kurumbanai, Kodimunai, Simon Colony, and Mandaikaaduputhoor. Wooden logs were found along the coast at Vallavilai, while a container washed ashore at Vaniyakudi. In Midalam, bags of cashew nuts and iron rods have been recovered. After receiving information about the container, officials immediately alerted the authorities concerned. A three-member expert team from a shipping company in Gujarat, a coastal police commandant, and 8 coastal policemen arrived at Vaniyakudi on Friday to help in the salvage operations. For the past three days, local body conservancy workers and NGO volunteers have been clearing the debris from the beaches. The district administration has established a 24x7 control room for members of the public to report the debris found along the coast. They can contact the control room through the toll free number 1077 or the mobile numbers 8056005578, 9384824286, 9597433412, and 9003942998.
The Print
4 hours ago
- General
- The Print
Not just oil, capsized Liberian ship poses another environmental threat. It's all over Kerala & TN coasts
According to the Kerala government, the vessel carried 643 containers, including 13 with hazardous materials and 12 containing calcium carbide—a chemical known to ignite on contact with water. The vessel also held 84.44 metric tonnes (MT) of diesel and 367.1 MT of furnace oil. On 24 May, MSC ELSA 3, en route to Kochi, began tilting soon after it left Vizhinjam port, which reports said was because of a technical issue. By the next day, the ship had completely sunk, around 4.6 nautical miles off the Thottappally spillway in Alappuzha. Thiruvananthapuram/New Delhi: Days after the Liberian-flagged shipping vessel capsized off the Kerala coast, tiny plastic pellets and other non-degradable remnants from the shipwreck have started washing up on Kerala and Tamil Nadu's coasts. Experts have raised an alarm over the impact of the spill as state government officials scramble to contain it. The initial concerns about oil spills and debris drifting along the Indian were soon realised, and the state is still struggling to mitigate the impact. Around four days later, on 28 May, tiny plastic pellets, or nurdles, began washing up on the Thiruvananthapuram coast. The pellets, which look like hailstones, have now started mixing with the sand. Apart from plastic nurdles, Sreekala S, chairperson of the Kerala State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB), wood, cloth, paper, glass, and tea bags, all believed to be stock aboard MSC ELSA-3, are also reaching the shores. Sreekala added that the district administrations, along with the KSPCB and the Disaster Management Authority (DMA), are now working with volunteers to collect debris from Varkala and will be expanding the operations to other coasts as and when more such instances are reported. 'We conducted a drone survey on Thursday to identify the affected areas. Once the collection process is complete, we will decide on the disposal method,' she said. Furthermore, Sreekala said that though no major oil spill from the ship had been reported, trace amounts of oil have been detected along the Alappuzha coast. Authorities in Kerala also said that 55 containers have floated ashore so far, reaching Alappuzha, Kollam, and Thiruvananthapuram. Containers have also been spotted as far as the coast of Tamil Nadu's Nagercoil. The pellets, which have been identified as the most hazardous items due to their non-degradable nature and potential to harm marine life, have been found predominantly along the Thiruvananthapuram coast, stretching from Varkala in the north to Thumba in the south. Robert Panipilla, founder of Friend of Marine Life, a civil society organisation that conducts underwater studies, raised concerns over the impact of the capsizing. 'The government isn't sharing information about what exactly sank with the ship. We depend on marine life, and we have the right to know.' Also Read: Global warming alarm bells ring as glacier collapse buries entire Swiss village, a first in 125 years Impact on marine life & concern about livelihood On Wednesday morning, D. Christhudas, a 52-year-old fisherman, woke up to a disturbing sight—plastic pellets and cashews had washed ashore in his locality of Adimalathura, Thiruvananthapuram. While he informed the local police station, the tehsildar only visited the village for inspections Thursday. Christhudas has not been able to work since. 'Not just here—eight nearby coastal villages are facing the same issue. And the authorities haven't taken any action since yesterday (Thursday),' Christhudas told ThePrint Friday. Now, a deeper fear looms—the loss of livelihood. Experts are also worried about the long-term implications of the incident. According to Panipilla, if the plastic remains in the sea for long, biomass will start attaching to it. Eventually, marine life will consume it. 'These pellets resemble fish eggs, which can deceive marine organisms,' he said. Balakrishnan Nair, director of the Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS), also echoed concerns about the plastic pellets. 'We don't have information on how many pellets were on board. But if they are deposited in the sea, it poses a serious danger.' Experts say the shipping company should be held accountable for the damage. 'People have a right to know what risks they are facing from chemical contamination to the safety of their livelihoods and how the government plans to respond,' Avinash Chanchal, deputy programme director (campaigns) at Greenpeace South Asia, said. Government action A senior official from the Union Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC), on condition of anonymity, said that the Centre is in touch with the Kerala and Tamil Nadu governments for regular updates on the cleaning exercise. 'The challenge is that these pellets are very tiny and it is difficult to contain their movement,' the official said, adding, 'In Tamil Nadu, some untampered sacks of these pellets have been collected. But most pellets have broken their packaging and are floating in the waters.' A team of scientists from the Centre will be visiting Kerala and Tamil Nadu in the coming days to assess the situation and formulate a plan to contain the damage, the official said. Kerala government's initial plan is that, apart from manually cleaning the coasts from visible pellets, they will also be installing booms—barriers to collect debris in waterbodies—near Alappuzha's Vembanad Lake and Neendakara. This will not only catch the pellets but will also prevent further mixing of oil with freshwater sources. 'The only concern is that oil might leak if the hull breaks. So far, no such issue [major oil leak] has been observed,' Sreekala said. On Monday, the Indian Coast Guard also deployed vessels—ICGS Vikram, Saksham, and Samarth—to the accident site. The ships used infrared cameras to detect oil spills and apply oil spill dispersants (OSDs) to contain the spread. A Dornier aircraft stationed in Kochi is also conducting aerial surveillance for the debris from the wreckage, according to Kochi defence PRO Atul Pillai. The shipping company responsible for the vessel is actively engaged in salvaging and removing the containers, according to officials. 'The company has informed us that they aim to salvage the sunken vessel by 3 July,' Sreekala said. (Edited by Sanya Mathur) Also Read: 4 western disturbances this month made it wettest since 1901. Delhi rains in May isn't all good news
Scroll.in
6 hours ago
- General
- Scroll.in
Shipwreck off Kerala coast likely to endanger marine ecology and life
The Liberian-flagged ship that sank off the Kerala coast has raised concerns about a potential oil spill and hazardous cargo, and the resulting ecological impact. The ship ELSA 3, enroute from Vizhinjam to Kochi, tilted into the sea on May 24, 38 nautical miles off the Kochi coast and sank completely the next morning. According to the Ministry of Defence, the ship had 640 containers, of which 46 were washed ashore in south Kerala on Tuesday, May 27. Also, tiny plastic pellets or nurdles, suspected to be from containers, were found on the coast of Thiruvananthapuram the same day. Nurdles scattered in the sea are hard to clean up and can endanger marine life. As per media reports, large quantities of nurdles, also suspected to be from the containers, washed ashore in the Kanniyakumari district of the neighbouring state of Tamil Nadu on May 28 afternoon, a few days after the ship began sinking. Besides, of the containers remaining in the sea, 13 carry hazardous material, but authorities have not disclosed the nature of this material. Another 12 contain calcium carbide, which becomes inflammable when reacting with water. It can also make the water more alkaline, disrupting the marine ecosystem. Under India's National Oil Spill Disaster Contingency Plan, the incident was classified as Tier II (spills requiring regional or national intervention). As per the contingency plan, the Indian Coast Guard has been trying to control the oil spill on site while state agencies are coordinating the response on the shore. Oil spill in patches The ship was loaded with 367 tonnes of furnace oil and 84 tonnes of low-sulphur high-speed diesel (HSD), according to a press release from the Ministry of Defence. 'Low-sulphur HSD is commonly used in ships. We don't know which of the two fuels leaked. Initially, the leak was in a 1 nm X 2 nm [nautical miles] area, and later it spread to 2 nm X 2 nm,' said Commander Atul Pillai, Defence Public Relations Officer, Kochi. He said the Coast Guard has largely contained the spill. 'Three Coast Guard ships have been churning the affected waters while two Dornier aircraft sprayed oil spill dispersants. Earlier, the spill was visible from the aircraft; now, there are only patches. Coast Guard has also now dispatched a pollution response strike team and a pollution response vessel from Mumbai to analyse and handle the contamination,' he said. When asked whether the oil spill could be fully dispersed, Pillai said, 'We can't say if more oil will leak out of the ship. As of now, the operation is going on.' Biju Kumar, marine biologist and head of the Department of Aquatic Biology and Fisheries at Kerala University, says long-term monitoring is needed even if the oil spill is dispersed. There is no immediate concern as no fish mortality has been reported. However, diesel and engine oil contain several hydrocarbons, some of which are persistent organic pollutants and are easily absorbed and remain in the food systems. The oil will ultimately settle down, get converted into paraffin balls, and spread over long distances. That is a threat to the benthic ecosystem (at the bottom of the sea).' More concerning, Kumar said, are the containers that are still missing. 'None of the recovered containers have calcium carbide, which means we need to have a thorough search for the declared materials. Second, many items, like plastic pellets, were not disclosed earlier. So, what is in the containers is a concern.' Until Monday, two days after the ship began sinking, most containers washed ashore were either empty or contained non-hazardous materials like tea. By the next day, plastic pellets washed up. The nurdles, 1 mm to 5 mm in diameter and considered primary microplastics, are used to manufacture plastic products. According to Kumar, this is the first instance of plastic pellet pollution from a shipwreck reported in India. He says the nurdles' size and buoyancy allow them to travel far, and their resemblance to fish eggs causes aquatic animals to ingest them, which could be fatal. Nurdles can also absorb pollutants over time, gradually break down into micro and nano plastics, and enter the food chain. Kumar says nurdles should be removed from the spill sites and beaches as soon as possible. The state government has enlisted volunteers, who would be guided by drone surveys, to remove pellets from the shore. Sreekala S, chairperson of the Kerala State Pollution Control Board, says, 'We plan to coordinate with the administrations to remove the containers and materials. The shipping company MSC [Mediterranean Shipping Company] has agreed to remove these, and discussions on this are ongoing.' MSC is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland but ELSA3 was registered in Liberia. The Mercantile Marine Department, Kochi, under the Directorate General of Shipping, has issued a pollution liability warning to the company, and MSC is reported to have hired an agency for cleanup. Kumar says the government should form a consortium of experts to conduct long-term monitoring studies. 'There is an international standard of practice for such monitoring. This includes frequently examining the water, sediment, and biota in the pelagic, mesopelagic (intermediate depths), and bottom layers. Filter feeders, especially mussels and shrimp, have a greater chance of accumulating chemicals. So, examining all these animals will give you a picture of the type and level of contaminants.' He adds that such studies are usually conducted for about three years and should be extended if contaminants are detected. Joint studies Until May 27, ICAR's Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute scientists collected water and sediment samples from 12 shores where containers were washed up. These were in Ernakulam, Alappuzha, and Kollam districts. 'The analysis will take time, but preliminary observations don't indicate oil slicks,' says Ratheesh Kumar R, team member and senior scientist. From May 28, the fisheries institute, the Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services, and the National Institute of Oceanography are conducting a 10-day vessel-based survey. 'We will collect water and sediment samples from different depths of the sea and measure water quality, alkalinity, oil content, biota, etc. We will also collect fish from 8-10 landing centres and look for any chemicals, oil, or hydrocarbons,' Ratheesh Kumar said. The survey locations would be selected based on dynamic maps by the ocean information services centre that project the oil drift based on wind and current directions. The fisheries institute will continue the study for at least six months, though the sampling frequency may be lower, Ratheesh Kumar said.
The Hindu
a day ago
- General
- The Hindu
Kerala govt. bans fishing within 20-nautical mile radius of shipwreck, announces compensation for fishers
The Kerala government has banned fishing within a 20-nautical-mile radius of the capsized Liberian-flagged container ship which sank off the Kerala coast on May 25. The State would give 6 kg of free rice and ₹1,000 a month to each affected fisher families in Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Alappuzha and Ernakulam districts. At a press conference, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan quashed speculation that fish caught off the coast of Kerala was inedible. He said the shipwreck happened 14.6 miles off the Thottapally Spillway in the Alappuzha district. He said the containers carrying the highly flammable calcium carbide, stowed away in the ship's cargo hold, remained submerged and posed no immediate threat. A maritime emergency vessel had set sail from Puducherry for the shipwreck site. The experts on board would use the latest underwater surveillance technology to map the wreck geospatially and designate the marine location using anchored floats. They would also use floating booms to contain any oil spill from the vessel. He said the salvage operation would focus on draining the Very Low Sulphur Fuel Oil (VLSFO) stored in the ship's double hull expeditiously to prevent spillage. After the monsoons, the company would remove the wreck from Kerala's jurisdictional waters. Mr. Vijayan said the ship also transported fruits, rubber, wooden beams, compounds, small plastic pellets (nurdles) and textiles. He warned fishers against salvaging any floating detritus from the wreck. He asked them to report it to the authorities instead. Cleaning operations Mr. Vijayan said piles of microplastics from the capsized ship had run ashore—contaminating the Thiruvananthapuram's shoreline. The government had initiated cleaning operations. Enumerating loss The Chief Minister stated that he had spoken to the Director General of Shipping, who agreed to spare the services of Deputy Nautical Officer Captain Ashok Joseph, a Keralite, to assist the State in enumerating the loss, including environmental damage and lost working days for fishers, caused by the shipwreck. He said Captain Joseph would work with the State government to collect evidence to claim damages from the shipping company under maritime laws. Mr. Vijayan said the shipwreck had also significantly impacted Kerala's beach and backwater tourism sectors. The Protection and Indemnity Insurance Agency has opened a special desk for processing shipwreck-related claims in Kochi. He said Captain Joseph was the nodal officer and had experience working with other State governments to file maritime compensation claims. Mr. Vijayan said the government would hand over 54 containers which washed ashore in Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam and Alappuzha districts to the Customs department. The State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA) had initiated aerial drone surveys to scan the State's beaches for shipwreck detritus. Hundreds of volunteers were working to clean the beaches of microplastics from the shipwreck.
Scroll.in
a day ago
- General
- Scroll.in
Kerala declares Kochi shipwreck a state-specific disaster
The Kerala government on Thursday declared the wreckage of the Liberian-flagged container ship, which sank off the Kochi coast a state-specific disaster. As interim relief, affected fishermen will be given Rs 1,000 and 6 kg of rice, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan was quoted as saying by PTI. The vessel, MSC ELSA-3, carrying 640 containers capsized on Sunday, about 15 nautical miles southwest of Alappuzha. It was carrying 13 containers with hazardous cargo and 12 of calcium carbide. All 24 crew on board the vessel were rescued. The ship was on its way to Kochi from Vizhinjam, the defence ministry said. The shipwreck poses a potentially serious threat to Kerala's coast environmentally, socially and economically, The Hindu quoted Tinku Biswal, principal secretary of the State Disaster Management Department as saying in a government order. The incident raised environmental concerns, including the risk of oil spills and drifting debris along Kerala's 640-km coast, Biswal added. The order permits the State Disaster Management Authority to mobilise resources, including personnel and significant sums of money from the State Disaster Response Fund for relief efforts. So far, at least 54 containers have washed ashore: 43 in Kollam, nine in Thiruvananthapuram and two in Alappuzha.
