Latest news with #X-PressPearl
New Indian Express
3 days ago
- Science
- New Indian Express
Sunk ship and its plastic nurdle spill threaten India's fish breeding lifeline on West Coast
Experts say the spill occurred as the upwelling system was taking shape where monsoon-driven winds lift nutrient-rich deep waters to the surface. This process fuels plankton blooms, sustaining nearly 50% of India's marine fish landings, including small pelagic species like Indian Mackerel (accounting for 30% of marine landings, with India producing 90% of the global supply, 77% from the west coast) and oil sardines. The region's high productivity, driven by sea surface temperature, salinity, and mixed layer depth, supports a complex food web, linking plankton to larger predatory fish and providing livelihoods for lakhs of fishermen. The spill's timing during the monsoon upwelling period, when productivity peaks, heightens the risk of disrupting this delicate ecosystem. Sri Lankan X-Press Pearl disaster The 2021 X-Press Pearl disaster off Sri Lanka offers a precedent for the potential impacts of the MSC ELSA 3 spill. After that container ship caught fire and sank 18 km off Colombo, it released 1,680 tonnes of nurdles, leading to over 600 beached turtles, damaged fishing nets, and nurdles found in fish stomachs, gills, and mouths. A recent study by international researchers from Denmark, Spain and Sweden on the impact of spilled debris from the X-Press Pearl disaster in Sri Lanka on marine plankton in a peer-reviewed journal revealed acute toxicity from leachates, with phytoplankton (Rhodomonas salina) showing minimal growth inhibition, meroplankton (Paracentrotus lividus larvae) experiencing 94% malformation at high concentrations, and holoplankton (Acartia tonsa nauplii) facing significant hatching reductions. These findings suggests the nurdles' potential to disrupt plankton-based food webs, a critical component of the MUR.
New Indian Express
4 days ago
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Tamil Nadu CM Stalin reviews environmental impact of MSC ELSA 3 shipwreck
CHENNAI: Chief Minister MK Stalin on Friday chaired a high-level review meeting at the secretariat to address the environmental impact of the MSC ELSA 3 shipwreck off the Kochi coast. The Liberian-flagged cargo vessel capsized 38 nautical miles off Kerala, releasing plastic nurdles, fuel, and other hazardous materials into the sea. Due to the southwest monsoon, debris washed ashore along parts of Kerala and the west coast of Kanniyakumari district. The meeting focused on safe disposal of plastic nurdles along the southern coastal districts of Kanniyakumari, Tirunelveli, Thoothukudi, and Ramanathapuram. An environmental impact assessment is being done by the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB), in coordination with the National Institute of Ocean Technology and other expert agencies. The fisheries department has restricted fishing activities in affected areas and is investigating the possibility of nurdle ingestion by marine species. District collectors, under the guidance of the State Disaster Management Authority, have been directed to coordinate with the police and volunteers for safe clean-up, a release said. While no hazardous materials have reached Tamil Nadu shores so far, the chief minister has ordered officials to ensure continous monitoring, conduct both short- and long-term impact studies, and expedite assessments of marine life health. Stalin highlighted the importance of protecting the region's marine ecosystem, drawing parallel with the 2021 X-Press Pearl disaster off the coast of Sri Lanka. TN constitutes committee, seeks public opinion on bus fare revision Chennai: The state government has issued a notification inviting public opinion on a proposed hike in bus fare. A committee headed by the transport commissioner has also been constituted to examine the proposal, following a directive from the Madras High Court. The court issued the order while hearing a petition filed by the Private Bus Operators Association seeking a fare revision. As per the notification, public can send their comments by post to the office of the transport commissioner in Guindy.
Time of India
6 days ago
- General
- Time of India
Kerala launches scientific response to coastal pollution after shipwreck
Thiruvananthapuram: In the wake of the maritime disaster off the Thottappally coast, where a sunken ship's cargo of chemical containers and plastic pellets washed ashore, the state govt has swung into scientific action. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now District collectors across affected coastal regions are now under clear and rigorous directives, thanks to standard operating protocols issued by the Kerala State Pollution Control Board and the Kerala State Disaster Management Authority. These guidelines draw from international best practices, including those of the International Tanker Owners Pollution Federation Limited, the American Public Health Association, and the Central Pollution Control Board. What is unfolding is not merely a clean-up operation but a data-driven, scientifically meticulous response designed to assess long-term ecological risks and ensure evidence-based decision-making. At the heart of the operation lies robust sample collection and preservation—a non-negotiable first step to understanding the extent of chemical infiltration in the sea, sand, and sediment. Authorities are focusing on two critical domains: water quality and soil or sediment contamination. Marine water samples are to be collected up to five kilometres from the shore and tested for parameters like pH, dissolved oxygen, alkalinity, hydrocarbons, and total suspended solids. For beach sand and seabed sediment, the list becomes more troubling, as tests look for lead, mercury, cadmium, volatile organic compounds, and polyaromatic hydrocarbons. Sampling sites—ranging from intertidal zones to estuary mouths—are being geotagged, creating a spatial map of contamination that can be monitored over time. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Temperature-sensitive parameters like pH and dissolved gases must be analysed either on-site or immediately after collection. All samples must be preserved in ice boxes and transported under controlled conditions to prevent degradation. This level of scientific rigour extends to the shoreline, where a new kind of threat is emerging: plastic pellets, also known as nurdles. These are pre-production plastics used in manufacturing. Though they may seem innocuous, they are environmentally insidious. One of the ship's containers is believed to have carried large volumes of these pellets, and now, they are turning up across Kerala's beaches. Authorities have initiated both semi-quantitative and fully quantitative shoreline surveys—methodologies refined in the aftermath of the X-Press Pearl disaster in Sri Lanka. Pellets are being collected through two main techniques: hand-collection over a timed period and quadrat-based screening, where a defined square section of beach is sampled for density. At various tidal lines, the number and weight of pellets are measured to assign a pollution level—from very low (fewer than 25 pieces or 5 grams) to very high (more than 150 pieces or 30 grams). This process results in a Plastic Pollution Index for each beach, guiding clean-up priorities and helping determine which ecosystems might recover on their own. Complicating the response is the fact that not all plastics are the same. If these pellets absorbed toxic chemicals or were partially burned in the ship fire, they may have become hazardous waste. That distinction changes everything—from the level of personal protective equipment required to the regulations surrounding transportation and final disposal. Protocols recommend that characterisation studies be undertaken to determine the physical and chemical properties of the pellets. If uncertainty persists, authorities may deploy thermal fingerprinting technologies like pyrolysis gas chromatography-mass spectrometry to trace the pellets' source and assess whether they underwent chemical transformation after the incident. Any delay in classifying this material as hazardous could hinder clean-up operations, increase public health risks, and leave collected debris in bureaucratic limbo. Another key takeaway from the newly issued protocols is what's missing: baseline environmental data. Without a clear understanding of what pollution levels looked like before the spill, it's difficult to calculate the full extent of the damage. Experts are calling for routine monitoring of microplastics and toxic pollutants along Kerala's entire coastline to ensure future incidents can be measured against reliable benchmarks. "Imagine if we had a real-time pollution index, like the air quality meters we use in cities—but for the sea. That's the future we need to build toward," said a member of the Kerala State Disaster Management Authority. For now, while public attention may remain focused on the visible aspects of the disaster—workers in hazmat suits combing the sand—the real work is happening out of sight. In laboratories, data centres, and command rooms, a broader environmental response is taking shape. The aim is not just to return the beaches to their pre-disaster condition, but to set up a long-term framework that ensures the next spill won't become the next catastrophe.
