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New Indian Express
2 days ago
- General
- New Indian Express
Centre plans to fix ship lifespan after Kerala wreck; MSC told to set up claims desk
KOCHI: The Union government is working on a proposal to fix the lifespan of vessels operating in Indian waters. Responding to queries regarding the shipwreck near Kerala coast, Director General of Shipping Shyam Jagannathan said age was not a factor and the ship complied with international norms. However, he said there is a need to enhance the inspection regime to ensure that vessels operating in Indian waters comply with the maritime norms. 'We have some concerns about some old vessels operating in Indian waters. We are working on a proposal to fix the lifespan of vessels. Also, we have to enhance the inspection regime. We will be further monitoring the operations of these vessels,' he said. According to experts, old cargo vessels can encounter operational issues due to outdated technology, wear and tear, and corrosion. While it is mandatory for vessels to undergo dry docking every five years to ensure seaworthiness, improper maintenance can pose challenges. If maintained properly, the lifespan of a cargo ship may extend to 30 years. However, corrosion, wear and tear of mechanical parts and absence of modern navigational equipment raise questions about their fitness. 'The safety and environmental requirements of ships are governed by the norms of International Maritime Organisation. There are no international norms that decide the cut-off date for the operations of a ship. It depends upon the commercial decision of the owner. If the vessel is fit to be certified as operational by competent agencies, it will be permitted to operate,' said Shyam Jagannathan. 'The seaworthiness of a vessel is not determined by its age but the certification. If the vessel is duly certified by the authorities concerned, it is considered good for operations. The vessels undergo periodical dry docking as per regulatory requirements. The vessel registration, classification and regulation cannot be India specific,' said Capt Philip Mathews, a master mariner with thirty years experience.
New Indian Express
3 days ago
- General
- New Indian Express
Technical failure in ballast management system led to failure of sunk ship: Shipping regulator
KOCHI: Dismissing the sabotage theory behind the capsize of container vessel MSC Elsa 3, the Director General (DG) of Shipping Shyam Jagannathan on Wednesday said the ship sank due to the failure of its ballast management system, which ensures the vessel's stability. The containers that fell off the ship when it sank off Kochi coast on Sunday and were floating in the Arabian Sea would be retrieved in 48 hours, Jagannathan said, adding that environmental damage was minimal. 'The oil spill is limited and the Coast Guard is cleaning it. The oil in the ship bunker will be removed by July 3,' he said. 'Our primary inference is that the vessel sank due to mechanical failure of the ballast management system. Safety and environmental requirements of the ships are governed by norms set by International Maritime Organisation (IMO) and this vessel complied with international norms. We have no evidence of other reasons. Failure of the ballast system may be due to lack of operational understanding. When the vessel listed to 26 degrees, there was a complete blackout due to failure of internal power generation. This virtually incapacitated all operations of the ship,' said chief surveyor of Union government Ajith Sukumaran. About the cargo, Jagannathan said there were 13 containers carrying hazardous cargo of which 12 had calcium carbide, while one had rubber chemical antioxidants.
The Hindu
3 days ago
- General
- The Hindu
Technical failure in ballast water management could have led to sinking of ship, say officials
Preliminary findings of the probe into the sinking of container vessel MSC ELSA 3 off the Kerala coast with 640 containers on board point to technical failure in ballast water management, which in turn caused the ship to tilt over 20 degrees and sink, officials of the Shipping Ministry and the Mercantile Marine department (MMD) said here on Wednesday. The officials included Director General of Shipping Shyam Jagannathan; Nautical Advisor to the Government of India Capt. Abul Kalam Azad, Chief Surveyor of the Directorate General of Shipping Ajith Sukumaran, and Principal Officer of the MMD's Kochi office J. Senthil Kumar. Mr. Jagannathan said none of the 50 containers that were washed ashore along the 120-km coastline of Alappuzha, Kollam and Thiruvananthapuram during the past few days had any hazardous cargo like calcium carbide. Most containers were empty, while the others had cotton bales and plastic pellets. The containers will be recovered in two days and disposed of. 'No sabotage' The prime focus now is on recovering oil and other pollutants from the vessel, followed by containers which are said to have cargo like ethylene polymers. The ship's owner firm MSC has roped in global firms with expertise in retrieving such cargo, while the Indian Coast Guard's specialised oil spill response team has been deployed to prevent damage to marine resources. There are internationally binding norms to settle insurance claims and compensate fishers from the Kerala coast for their loss of livelihood, he said and added that prima facie there was no reason to suspect sabotage. Terming the sinking incident as the largest along the Indian coast, Mr. Sukumaran said that preliminary inference pointed to mechanical failure in ballast water management, a safety precaution that is taken in all ships to overcome the effect of 'rolling and pitching' while on the sea, and the subsequent loss of power. This could have been caused by the malfunctioning of the ballast management valves. Old ships On several shipping firms deploying old vessels to Indian ports (the sunk ship was 28 years old), he said many stakeholders had expressed concern about the matter. Steps were under way to revise safety and other norms in this regard. The officials said that although the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) had not issued any age-related norms for ships, there were concerns about the operational efficiency of older vessels. Mr. Azad explained how a team of salvage specialists, naval architects, chemists, oil spill specialists, and divers was deployed to salvage the vessel and the containers, and to contain the effects of oil spillage and pollution. A total of four tugs have been mobilised as part of this. On the delay in officially declaring the contents of 13 containers having 'hazardous' cargo, he said the owner of the ship had said that they contained 'rubber chemicals' which were non-hazardous. While five of them were on the ship's deck, eight were secured within the vessel's 'cargo hold' area. According to the plan, oil spill in the vicinity of the sinking spot can be cleared by July 3. The ship was carrying 367 tonnes of very low sulfur fuel oil and 84 tonnes of marine diesel fuel.
Time of India
3 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
Mechanical failure in ballast tank led to cargo vessel capsize: DG Shipping
K ochi: A preliminary probe by the Directorate General of Shipping has found that a mechanical failure led to the sinking of the Liberian cargo vessel MSC ELSA 3 off Kochi on Sunday. A detailed investigation is underway to determine the exact cause. Director General of Shipping Shyam Jagannathan and chief surveyor Ajithkumar Sukumaran told reporters on Wednesday that the preliminary probe showed a technical failure in the ballast tank that led to the accident. The valves in the tank did not function properly, leading to a failure in the ship's electrical system and causing it to list, they said. The Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) is cooperating with the investigation, and it is unclear how long the investigation procedures will take, the officials said. The ship was operating in compliance with the regulations of the International Maritime Organization, and its insurance documentation was valid. They said the chief officer on the ship was new, and it would be investigated if his lack of experience also contributed to the accident. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like ¡Trading con IA en Chile ayuda a usuarios a obtener ganancias potenciales! Mainhubfb Más información Undo The voyage data recorder, which contains information like the ship's speed, direction, conversations among crew members, and communications with other ships, will be retrieved to obtain more details about the accident, they said. The Mercantile Marine Department (MMD), a statutory authority under DG Shipping, informed that there was no large-scale oil spill from the sunken vessel and the environmental threat it posed was being actively mitigated. Nautical advisor Capt Abul Kalam Azad and MMD Kochi principal officer Senthil Kumar, who also addressed the news conference, confirmed that the ship was carrying 640 containers, including 13 with hazardous material—calcium carbide and rubber chemicals, besides 367.1 tonnes of Very Low Sulphur Fuel Oil (VLSFO) and 84.44 tonnes of marine diesel fuel. The team said the oil recovery operation would be completed by July 3. Azad said oil recovery from the sunken vessel, retrieval of drifting containers and removal of beached containers would be their priority. A multi-beam sonar survey has been initiated to locate and assess the wreckage of the ship, and experts have planned capping of venting points. As many as 50 beached containers were identified by Wednesday, and the priority is to recover all of them within the next 48 hours. None of these containers contained hazardous material, and they were placed on the ship's deck, they said. Hazardous materials are present in 13 containers; 12 of these contain calcium carbide while one contains rubber chemicals. Of the 13, eight were inside the ship. The remaining five could be either on the ship's deck or on the seabed near the ship, they said. The officials said over 100 containers were reported to have fallen into the sea. The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) has deployed ships and aircraft for surveillance, and dispersants were being used under the National Oil Spill Disaster Contingency Plan. An onsite team in Kochi continues to monitor and manage pollution risks. High-range drones and precision scanning equipment are being used to detect and contain oil spills. A total of 108 personnel have been deployed for shoreline clean-up and container retrieval operations. In addition to these, 38 personnel have been deployed for emergency response in Thiruvananthapuram, Alappuzha and Kollam. These teams will work in coordination with the district disaster management authorities and district collectors. The shipping company has been instructed to establish a damage and liability claim desk to address the losses and liabilities related to the shipwreck.
