MSC ELSA 3

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Inventory of cargo published

The 'MSC Elsa 3', which sank 14.6 nautical miles off Thottappa, was carrying a mixed consignment, including chemicals and raw materials. including 13 containers of calcium carbide, several containers of hydrazine and hydroxylamine, and other holding bleached chemi-thermo, slaked lime, sodium lauryl ether sulphate, fish oil, polymer pellets, newsprint, wood, cashews, and vegetables. Of the 643 containers on board, 70 were empty. The disclosure, coming 11 days after the vessel sank, came against the backdrop of Kerala high court on June 5, directing the state govt to publicly disclose details concerning the nature of the cargo, its potential environmental impact and the mitigation measures being planned. A bench of Chief Justice Nitin Jamdar and Justice Basant Balaji gave the directive on a PIL filed by former MP T. N. Prathapan, seeking comprehensive compensation and rehabilitation for fishermen and other affected stakeholders. The court also sought instructions from the state on whether such information is already available and if not, expected the govt to publish the available details before the next hearing.

Coastal pollution assessment has commenced along Tamil Nadu’s southern shoreline

More than one week after the 'MSC Elsa 3' sank approximately 70 km off the Kerala coast, between Vizhinjam and Kochi, a coastal pollution assessment has commenced along Tamil Nadu’s southern shoreline. The National Centre for Coastal Research (NCCR), under the Ministry of Earth Sciences, has deployed a team in Kanyakumari to collect seawater and beach sediment samples. The study aims to determine whether the spill has impacted Tamil Nadu’s marine and coastal ecosystems as a recurring survey. The NCCR team began sample collection from Kanyakumari and may extend up to Kudankulam. The findings will help create baseline data to understand if the incident has affected the coast. The results will supplement the Tamil Nadu government’s ongoing environmental monitoring efforts. The data from this study will be compared with historical datasets collected under NCCR’s Seawater Quality Monitoring Programme. The programme monitors physical, chemical, and biological parameters at 50 coastal locations across India, including seven along the Tamil Nadu coast.

Container ship believed to have capsized due to ballast system failure

The 'MSC Elsa 3' is believed to have sunk off the coast of Kochi due to a ballast system failure, according to Shyam Jagannathan, India's Director General of Shipping. He denied earlier rumours of sabotage. The ship started listing at 26 degrees en route from Vizhinjam to Kochi, and sank the next day. The cause must have been a ballast system failure, according to Ajith Sukumaran, Chief Inspector of the Indian government. There was no evidence of other reasons. The ballast system failure could have been due to a lack of operational insight. When the ship listed, there was a complete power failure due to a failure in the internal power supply. This rendered virtually all operational activities of the ship unusable. Of the about 100 containers, which drifted away afterthe sinking, about 50 have meanwhile washed up along the coast. Most of the containers were empty, but 13 were carrying hazardous materials: 12 containing calcium carbide and one containing chemical antioxidants for rubber. Five of the calcium carbide containers were lashed on the deck and probably ended up on the seabed, while seven remained in the cargo holds. Calcium carbide is stored in 200-litre drums. The risk of it reacting with seawater was considered low. A salvage team of 108 people from the US-based T&T Salvage, appointed by MSC, has started cleaning up the coast. Their focus was on recovering floating containers and clearing the affected coastlines. Once the cleanup is complete, the team will begin extracting oil from the ship’s bunker tanks. The Coast Guard was able to contain a small oil spill. The removal of the bunker oil is scheduled for early July. Director General Jagannathan stressed that all sunken containers and the ship will be salvaged: "The owner is legally obliged to remove the wreck under international treaties.” The government of India’s Kerala state has classified the wreck as a “state-specific disaster” due to its potential environmental and economic impact. The DG Shipping will soon conduct comprehensive seabed mapping using a multi-beam survey system to locate missing containers and the sunken vessel. The operation is also aimed at mitigating marine ecological risks stemming from the incident. The cost of the recovery will be borne by the vessel’s owner, the Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC), which has appointed US-based firm T&T Salvage to carry out container recovery, oil removal, and pollution control measures. T&T Salvage is assembling a team of divers, including saturation divers from South Africa, to aid the underwater retrieval of containers. The 'Water Lily', an emergency tow vessel, is currently being equipped with a multi-beam survey system for detailed seabed mapping. In addition, the vessel 'Seamac III' will assist in diving operations. A committee comprising all stakeholders has been formed, and regular meetings are being held to monitor progress. The Indian Coast Guard (ICG), designated as the on-scene commander, has been conducting daily aerial reconnaissance and applying oil dispersants to manage the environmental impact.