Latest news with #MSCELSA3
The Hindu
30-07-2025
- General
- The Hindu
Fishermen seek action on petitions submitted at meetings
A majority of the fishermen from Kanniyakumari district raised concern over the delayed responses and negligent actions of the authorities towards the petitions submitted at the monthly grievance redressal meetings. These concerns were raised during the fishermen grievance redressal meeting held at the Collectorate on Wednesday. At the meeting, fishermen from various regions, including Marthandamthurai, Kurumbanai and other coastal areas, said that their petitions often receive either negligent replies or in many cases no response. The issue arose when a petitioner from Melakurumbanai claimed that he never received a reply for his grievance, requesting the distribution of free land pattas to the needy from the vacant land near Colachel bus stand. In response to his petition, Kalkulam Tahsildar had noted that the land was classified as Ryotwari and therefore could not be allocated for distribution of pattas to the poor. However, the petitioner stated that he had never received that reply online. This made other petitioners highlight the absence of officials in the meeting and negligence in taking timely actions. Dhasan from Enayam highlighted the poor condition of government bus service to their village. He said several buses had been cancelled and those that were still in operation in extremely poor condition, raising serious concerns about passenger safety. South Asian Fishermen Fraternity has submitted a petition demanding compensation for Kanniyakumari fishermen affected by ship wreck of Liberian Cargo vessel MSC ELSA 3, off the Kochi coast. The submerged containers pose a risk to fishermen nets and boats. Collision with these containers may damage or even sink fishing boats. Now that the fishing period ban to end in Kerala, fishermen from Kanniyakumari will resume deep sea fishing in Kerala's maritime zone. The petition urged that compensation similar to Kerala should also be secured by the Tamil Nadu government for the fishermen from Kanniyakumari and their fishing equipment damaged due to the submerged containers. Padmanbhapuram Sub-Collector Vinay Kumar Meena, Fisheries and Fishermen Welfare Department Deputy Director Chinnakuppan, Fisheries and Fishermen Welfare Assistant Directors and other officials were present at the meeting. Kanniyakumari Collector R. Alagumeena joined the session later due to official commitments.
The Hindu
28-07-2025
- General
- The Hindu
MSC Elsa 3 shipwreck: Greenpeace India, civil society groups seek action to make shipping firm pay relief for environmental damage, livelihood loss
Greenpeace India, along with civil society groups representing coastal and fishing communities, on Monday (July 28, 2025) demanded urgent action to make the Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) pay for the environmental damage and livelihood loss caused by the sinking of its Liberian-flagged vessel, the MSC Elsa 3, off the Kerala coast in May 2025. A White Paper released in Thiruvananthapuram outlined the potential ecological and socio-economic impacts of the shipwreck that occurred 14.6 nautical miles off the coast of Kochi on May 25 and its consequences, observing that these have since spiralled into a 'multi-dimensional environmental and human crisis.' The White Paper, covering the period from May 25 to June 25, sought to highlight the different dimensions of the damage, including widespread nurdle (plastic pellet) contamination along the coasts of Kerala, Tamil Nadu and even Sri Lanka. The document also outlined the severe livelihood disruptions for fisherfolk and growing concerns for marine biodiversity in the region. 'Corporate negligence' 'This is not just an accident. This is corporate negligence,' the document said. It demanded full transparency on the cargo manifest of the sunken ship and called on MSC to support rapid clean-up response and an independent impact assessment. It also wanted the company to engage in a 'comprehensive, up-to-scale compensation plan for the loss of livelihoods and biodiversity resulting from the shipwreck.' The document noted that oil spill, hydrocarbon contamination and hazardous chemical leaks pose immediate and significant threats to marine life, food chains and fisheries. 'Oil slicks can smother sensitive coastal ecosystems such as mangroves, estuaries and mudflats which are crucial breeding and feeding grounds for numerous marine and avian species,' it noted. The microplastic pollution caused by the spillage of nurdles (plastic pellets) poses another significant threat, the document said. 'Large amounts of microplastic pellets less than 5 mm in size have washed ashore along the Kerala coast (e.g., Kovalam, Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Alappuzha) and drifted to ecologically sensitive areas suchh as the Gulf of Mannar Marine Biosphere Reserve and roughly 80 km to 600 km along the coastline of Sri Lanka. Nurdles are primary microplastics that can absorb toxic chemicals from seawater and are frequently mistaken as food by marine animals (fish, seabirds, sea turtles), leading to internal injuries, starvation, and exposure to absorbed toxins,' it said. The White Paper observed that incidents such as the MSC ELSA 3 shipwreck pose significant long-term environmental consequences and present formidable recovery challenges. Damaged ecosystems, such as coral reefs, mangrove forests and seagrass beds, take a very long time to recover, if at all, it said. Nurdles and other plastic debris are non-biodegradable and can persist in the environment for hundreds of years. They break down into microplastics and nanoplastics, entering the food web and potentially impacting human health through seafood consumption. Long-term impact 'The long-term impact on the fishing and tourism industries can be devastating, leading to prolonged economic hardship for coastal communities. Legal battles for compensation, as seen with the X-Press Pearl disaster (off Sri Lanka in 2021), can be lengthy and complex, often resulting in insufficient redress for the affected parties,' the document noted. Further, the White Paper underscored the 'critical need' for more stringent regulations, better enforcement, improved monitoring, and enhanced international cooperation and training for emergency responders. These incidents expose shortcomings in national and international regulations, emergency response protocols, and the capacity to handle large-scale maritime environmental disasters,' it said. Vicar General of Latin Archdiocese of Thiruvananthapuram Eugene Pereira, Greenpeace India programme director Divya Raghunandan, Kerala Swatantra Matsya Thozhilali Federation president Jackson Pollayil, Coastal Students Cultural Forum president Rethin Antony and Mercy Alexander of Coastal Watch were among those present.
New Indian Express
14-07-2025
- General
- New Indian Express
Kerala's wake-up call and a global crisis unfolding
The world's oceans—critical conduits of global commerce, reservoirs of marine biodiversity, and regulators of Earth's climate—are confronting threats of unprecedented scale and complexity. While overfishing, plastic pollution, and ocean warming have long dominated environmental discourse, oil spills remain one of the most acute and underappreciated forms of marine degradation. The recent spill off Kerala's coast offers a sobering illustration of how such incidents are not isolated anomalies but symptomatic of a broader, systemic crisis—one that is both local in its impact and global in its implications. A local disaster, a global symptom In late May 2025, the MSC ELSA 3, a Liberian-flagged container ship, capsized and sank off the coast of Alappuzha. What followed was a catastrophic oil spill that released more than 450 tonnes of furnace oil, diesel, and hazardous cargo—including plastic nurdles—into the Arabian Sea. The disaster has wreaked havoc on Kerala's coastal ecosystems, severely impacted the livelihoods of fishing communities, and exposed significant gaps in maritime disaster preparedness. The environmental footprint is enormous: thick furnace oil now stains Kerala's once-pristine beaches, nurdles are washing up on shores from Thiruvananthapuram to Kollam, and fragile estuaries and backwaters face long-term contamination. For the fishing communities dependent on these waters, the consequences are not just ecological—they are existential.
Time of India
10-07-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Compensation claimed by state exaggerated: Owners
Kochi: The owners of the vessel MSC AKITETA II, which was arrested on the directive of the high court in an admiralty suit filed by the state govt, informed court that the amount claimed by the state, Rs 9,531 crore, is highly exaggerated. They also submitted that the suit is not maintainable, as the vessel is not within Indian territorial waters. While considering the interlocutory application filed by the vessel owners in the state's admiralty suit, the bench of Justice M A Abdul Hakhim orally asked the owners to state how much they were willing to deposit as security in the matter. HC had issued an arrest warrant against AKITETA II on July 7. It came following the state govt suit seeking claims for the grave and widespread environmental and economic damage allegedly caused by the capsize of cargo vessel MSC ELSA 3 off Kerala coast on May 25. The vessel owners, however, contended that there was no evidence of oil pollution resulting from the capsize. They submitted that the oil sheen, which had spread within one nautical mile of the site, was completely cleaned up by the ship owner. They reiterated that the claim is exaggerated and not backed by adequate supporting documents. Seeking modification of the previous order directing the deposit of Rs 9,531 crore as security, senior counsel for the vessel owners relied on Section 11(2) of the Admiralty (Jurisdiction and Settlement of Maritime Claims) Act, 2017, which permits the court to modify or cancel the security requirement for sufficient cause. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 5 Books Warren Buffett Wants You to Read In 2025 Blinkist: Warren Buffett's Reading List Undo They also referred to a 2017 HC division bench judgment that had reduced a security deposit from Rs 18.5 crore to Rs 1 crore. However, advocate general K Gopalakrishna Kurup opposed the plea, contending that the arrest order was issued after HC was satisfied with the prima facie case established by the plaint and supporting documents. He argued that the question of modifying or cancelling the order could arise only after completion of pleadings. Accepting the AG's submission, HC directed the ship owners to file a counter-affidavit along with supporting documents within two weeks. The matter has been posted for Aug 8, and HC clarified that the arrest order shall remain in force until then.
Time of India
09-07-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Ship owner asked to pay ₹125 crore for Kerala mishap
(You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel Mumbai: The owner of the container ship 'MSC ELSA 3' that capsized and sank off the Kerala coast on May 25 is liable to pay ₹125 crore for pollution clean-up, salvage, wreck removal and compensation to affected parties, which is 1.32% of the ₹9,531 crore compensation sought by the state government. This is because, per an international treaty known as the Convention on Limitation of Liability for Maritime Claims adopted by the International maritime Organisation, a shipowner's liability is capped depending on the ship's size/tonnage and the nature of the incident. "For MSC ELSA 3 , this limit is currently estimated at ₹125 crore. This is the realistic maximum payout under law, not the exaggerated figures being tossed around," a government official said.
