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India Gazette
3 days ago
- General
- India Gazette
Kerala CM Vijayan declares State Special Disaster after Liberia-flagged container vessel sinks off Kochi
Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala) [India], May 29 (ANI): Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Thursday declared the sinking of the Liberia-flagged container vessel MSC ELSA 3 off Kochi as a State Special Disaster. The vessel sank on May 24, prompting concerns about environmental damage and potential impact on coastal communities. Vijayan emphasised that the state's priority is safeguarding the environment and protecting people's livelihoods in coastal areas. The government is taking immediate action to mitigate the disaster's effects and ensure the ecosystem's safety. Speaking on Thursday, CM Vijayan said, ' We are declaring this incident a State Special Disaster. Our priority is to safeguard our environment and protect the livelihoods of our coastal communities' 'The vessel was carrying 643 containers--73 were empty, 13 contained calcium carbide, 46 housed plastic pellets (hydrocarbon-based materials), and one held rubber. Nearly 100 containers are believed to have fallen into the sea. An emergency meeting was held immediately to assess the situation. Experts were consulted on containment and cleanup strategies,' he said further. Declaring a State Special Disaster will enable the government to mobilise resources and take swift action to respond to the situation. The authorities are working to assess the damage and implement measures to prevent further environmental harm. 'Currently, 54 containers have washed ashore along the coastlines of Alappuzha, Kollam, and Thiruvananthapuram districts. The state has already initiated cleaning operations to protect our fragile coastal ecosystem. This is a shared responsibility, and we must all act together,' said the CM further. 'Volunteers from the Police, Civil Defence, and other local organisations have been deployed in affected areas. Drone surveys of the coastline have been completed. The state has formally requested MSC to remove the sunken vessel from our coastal waters and compensate for the environmental impact, economic losses to tourism, and disruption of livelihoods,' CM mentioned further. Earlier, the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) launched a full-scale pollution response operation following the sinking of the Liberian container vessel MV MSC ELSA 3, which went down on May 25, 2025, approximately 15 nautical miles southwest of Alappuzha, Kerala. Within hours of the vessel's submergence, ICG surveillance aircraft detected an oil slick at the site. ICG Ship Saksham, already stationed in a pollution response configuration, was deployed immediately. An ICG Dornier aircraft conducted aerial assessments and dispersed Oil Spill Dispersant (OSD) across the affected zone. By late morning on May 25, the oil slick was spotted drifting east-southeast from the site of the sinking at a speed of 1.5 to 2 knots. Rough sea conditions and strong winds made response efforts more challenging. Despite the hazardous situation, with over 100 cargo containers floating in the area, some breaking apart and releasing their contents, ICG continued operations with full effect. To ensure safety, all passing ships have been diverted, and mariners have been warned to navigate cautiously due to floating debris and potential navigation hazards. All 24 crew members of the Liberian-flagged container Vessel MSC ELSA 3 were rescued safely, by ships of the Indian Coast Guard and the Indian Navy. The vessel was carrying 640 containers, including 13 containing hazardous cargo and 12 with calcium carbide. Additionally, ship had 84.44 metric tonnes of diesel and 367.1 metric tonnes of furnace oil in its tanks. (ANI)
Hindustan Times
7 days ago
- General
- Hindustan Times
Oil spill seen on video as over 100 containers float post Kochi shipwreck
Over 100 containers were spotted floating in sea on Monday after the Liberian-flagged container vessel MV MSC ELSA 3 sank approximately 15 nautical miles off the coast of Kerala, southwest of Alappuzha, on Sunday. The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) released aerial visuals of the site, showing numerous containers and a visible spill spread across the water. The spill is estimated to have covered an area of 2x1 nautical miles, with some containers reportedly breaking apart and their contents dispersing into nearby waters. ICG Ship Saksham, already on standby in Pollution Response (PR) mode, was deployed to carry out counter-pollution efforts, while an ICG Dornier aircraft was flown over the area for aerial assessment and to spray Oil Spill Dispersant (OSD). Maritime advisories have been issued, warning vessels in the region to stay alert and navigate cautiously due to floating debris and potential hazards. The vessel, en route from Vizhinjam to Kochi, capsized roughly 38 nautical miles from the shore before sinking with its cargo. According to officials, the ship was carrying 643 containers, including 73 empty ones and 13 with hazardous materials, among them calcium carbide — a chemical known to react dangerously with water, releasing highly flammable acetylene gas. According to Kerala State Pollution Control Board (KPCB) Chairperson Sreekala S, no containers carrying calcium carbide have washed ashore so far, and only a thin oil sheen has been detected following the sinking of a Liberian-flagged vessel off the Kerala coast. After a high-level meeting and the submission of a status report to the state government, Sreekala told PTI that rough sea conditions had prevented dispersants from being sprayed by ships, prompting authorities to use aircraft instead. "The waves are four to five metres high, and ships cannot spray the dispersants. If we come across thickened oil, we use jute sacks filled with sawdust to absorb it," she said. She explained that if oil reaches the coast, beach cleaning efforts will be launched in coordination with the Pollution Control Board and local administration. "The oil-contaminated sand will need to be scooped out and sent to Kerala Enviro Infrastructure Limited, a hazardous waste treatment and disposal facility located at Ambalamugal, Kochi. We have contacted them, and they are ready with equipment and trucks to transport the sand,' she said. So far, she confirmed, no oil presence has been detected in Kollam or Alappuzha, where some containers have washed ashore. "We have collected water samples from all these areas," she said. Sreekala also said concerns about calcium carbide reacting with seawater are, for now, unfounded. "We have no reports of any containers carrying calcium carbide reaching the shores," she said. In the event such a container does reach land, several agencies including the Fire Force, Chemical Explosives Department, Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation, and the Department of Factories and Boilers are prepared to respond. "They have a protocol in place for that. Scientifically, if calcium carbide mixes with water, it can produce acetylene gas and calcium hydroxide. Acetylene is a highly inflammable gas when it comes into contact with water. It cannot be extinguished with water—dust or clay powder is used to douse such fires," she said, adding that all precautions are in place should such a scenario arise. To prevent the oil slick from reaching Ashtamudi and Vembanad lakes, the KPCB is set to send a request to the Coast Guard via the State Disaster Management Authority for deploying boomers at key locations. "The letter is ready, requesting the Coast Guard to place boomers at Thottappally Spillway to prevent the spread to Vembanad, and at Neendakara to prevent the spread to Ashtamudi Lake. If the Coast Guard does not have the required number, we will have to source them from elsewhere," she said. The KPCB has been on high alert since the evening of May 24, she said, and field officers have been deployed to monitor the coastline from Thiruvananthapuram to Kasaragod. "Then we were informed that the containers were moving towards the southern direction, and our officials were sent to Kollam and Alappuzha. They are coordinating with other agencies," she added. Recovery and handling of the sunken containers will be overseen by the Directorate General of Shipping and other authorities. The high-level meeting was held to assess all possible scenarios, Sreekala said. (With ANI, PTI inputs)
India Gazette
7 days ago
- General
- India Gazette
Oil slick detected after Liberian container vessel sinks off Kerala Coast; ICG leads pollution response
Kochi (Kerala) [India], May 26 (ANI): The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) launched a full-scale pollution response operation following the sinking of the Liberian container vessel MV MSC ELSA 3, which went down on May 25, 2025, approximately 15 nautical miles southwest of Alappuzha, Kerala. Within hours of the vessel's submergence, ICG surveillance aircraft detected an oil slick at the site. ICG Ship Saksham, already stationed in a pollution response configuration, was deployed immediately. An ICG Dornier aircraft conducted aerial assessments and dispersed Oil Spill Dispersant (OSD) across the affected zone. By late morning on May 25, the oil slick was spotted drifting east-southeast from the site of the sinking at a speed of 1.5 to 2 knots. Rough sea conditions and strong winds made response efforts more challenging. Despite the hazardous situation, with over 100 cargo containers floating in the area, some breaking apart and releasing their contents, ICG continued operations with full effect. To ensure safety, all passing ships have been diverted, and mariners have been warned to navigate cautiously due to floating debris and potential navigation hazards. ICG intensified surveillance and spill mitigation efforts using aerial sorties and specialised dispersal equipment. Two Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPVs) remain on-site for round-the-clock monitoring, while pollution response vessel Samudra Prahari and additional OPVs have been mobilised with large quantities of OSD. Earlier, all 24 crew members of the Liberian-flagged container Vessel MSC ELSA 3 were rescued safely, by ships of the Indian Coast Guard and the Indian Navy. The vessel was carrying 640 containers, including 13 containing hazardous cargo and 12 with calcium carbide. Additionally, ship had 84.44 metric tonnes of diesel and 367.1 metric tonnes of furnace oil in its tanks. The Mercantile Marine Department, Kochi, issued a pollution liability warning to the vessel owners MSC, under the Merchant Shipping Act, 1958. The MSC appointed T&T Salvage for container recovery, oil removal, and environmental clean-up. The ICG also advised the Kerala state administration to prepare for shoreline clean-up and to alert local communities not to handle any cargo or debris that may wash ashore. (ANI)
