Latest news with #marineecosystem
Malay Mail
26-05-2025
- General
- Malay Mail
India races to contain oil spill after cargo ship with hazardous materials sinks off Kerala
BENGALURU (India), May 26 — India's coastguard raced today to contain an oil spill from a container ship with hazardous cargo that sank off the southern coast yesterday, Kerala's state government said. The Liberian-flagged MSC ELSA 3, listed as a 184-metre (603-foot) freight ship, went down off the coast of Kerala yesterday, with all 24 crew members rescued. It was carrying 640 containers, including 13 with hazardous cargo and 12 containing calcium carbide, a chemical used for fertiliser production and steelmaking. The vessel also contained some 370 tonnes of fuel and oil. 'The Coast Guard is taking action to prevent the spread of oil using two ships,' Kerala's government said in a statement. 'The work of spraying dust to destroy the oil is in progress using a Dornier aircraft'. India's defence ministry said the ship sank 'due to flooding' some 38 nautical miles southwest of Kochi, raising concerns for the 'sensitive marine ecosystem along Kerala's coast'. The government has put coastal areas on high alert and warned people not to touch or approach any containers — some of which have already washed up along the coast. The ship was sailing between the Indian ports of Vizhinjam and Kochi when it ran into trouble on Saturday and issued a distress call. — AFP
Malay Mail
25-05-2025
- General
- Malay Mail
Ship carrying 640 containers, including hazardous cargo, sinks off India's Kerala coast
NEW DELHI, May 25 — A container vessel carrying hundreds of cargo boxes and hazardous chemicals sank off south India on Sunday morning after efforts to salvage it failed. All 24 crew members of the Liberia-flagged MSC ELSA 3 were rescued by the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) and the navy. The 184-metre-long ship was en route to Kochi from Vizhinjam port. It began tilting on Saturday about 38 nautical miles southwest of Kochi. Coast guard patrol ships and the merchant vessels MV Han Yi and MSC Silver 2 were diverted to assist the capsized vessel, which sank due to flooding around 7.50 am on Sunday, according to an Indian Defence Ministry statement. The vessel was carrying 640 containers, including 13 containing hazardous cargo and 12 with calcium carbide. The ship held 84 tonnes of diesel and 367 tonnes of furnace oil in its tanks. It was manned by 20 crew members from the Philippines, two Ukrainians, one Georgian and one Russian national. Given the sensitive marine ecosystem along the Kerala coast, the coast guard has activated full pollution response preparedness, the Defence Ministry said. 'ICG aircraft equipped with advanced oil spill detection systems are conducting aerial surveillance, and ICG ship Saksham, carrying pollution response equipment, remains deployed at the site. So far, no oil spill has been reported,' it said. — Bernama
The Independent
09-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Attenborough film unveils seabed destruction caused by bottom trawling
Dramatic footage from Sir David Attenborough's landmark new film captures the destruction caused to the seabed by bottom trawling. Ocean With David Attenborough, released in cinemas to mark the renowned naturalist and TV presenter's 99th birthday, includes a sequence where the camera follows a bottom trawl, where nets are dragged with a metal beam across the seabed to catch fish. As the iron chains travel across the ocean floor they can be seen bulldozing through the habitat, stirring up silt which releases carbon and scooping up species indiscriminately. The footage is thought to be the first time the process has been filmed in such high quality, showing the scale of destruction caused by trawling. Sir David can be heard saying that 'very few places are safe' from the damaging fishing method, which occurs daily across vast swathes of the world's seabeds. In the cilp, he also highlights how trawlers, often on the hunt for a single species, discard almost everything they catch. 'It's hard to imagine a more wasteful way to catch fish,' he notes. Bottom trawling and other forms of destructive fishing are permitted in UK waters but conservationists have long been campaigning for a full ban across all marine protected areas. The impacts of bottom trawling and dredging are largely hidden from public view and are carried out without the knowledge of what marine life is being destroyed. Ocean looks to spotlight how human actions are leading to ecosystem collapse. The film also seeks to highlight the need to protect nearly a third of the oceans so they can recover from overfishing and habitat destruction, secure food for billions of people and tackle climate change. Beyond the destruction seen from bottom trawling and coral bleaching, Sir David also highlights inspiring stories from around the world, delivering the message that taking collective action will provide the opportunity for marine life to recover. 'If we save the sea, we save our world,' he says. Toby Nowlan, Keith Scholey and Colin Butfield, who directed the film, said: 'Collaborating with David Attenborough to deliver this powerful message is a dream come true for us as filmmakers and storytellers. 'We hope that sharing this unprecedented look at bottom trawling will bring greater awareness to the reality of what's happening beneath the waves and inspire audiences to protect the world around us.' Enric Sala, National Geographic Pristine Seas founder and executive producer of the film, said: 'I couldn't think of a more crucial time for this film to be available to a global audience. 'For the first time, people can see the destruction of bottom trawling unfold in front of their eyes — the heavy nets dragging across the ocean's precious floor and killing everything in their wake. 'I hope the film makes people all over the world fall in love with the ocean and inspires them to protect it.'
