Large cargo ship sinks off Kochi; Oil and chemical spill risk persists
Of the 640 containers carried by the sunken vessel, 13 contained hazardous cargo, and 12 contained calcium carbide. The ship had in its tanks 84.44 metric tonnes of diesel and 367.1 metric tonnes of furnace oil.
MSC ELSA 3, a 184-metre-long cargo ship that was facing a dangerous situation at sea, approximately 70 kms off the southwestern Indian city of Kochi, Kerala, has sunk. The Liberia-flagged container vessel was sailing on a day-long voyage between two ports in Kerala – from Vizhinjam, Thiruvananthapuram, to Kochi – when it began to tilt sideways at noon on Saturday (May 24). All 24 crew members of the cargo ship have been rescued by the Indian Coast Guard and Indian Navy.
Of the 640 containers carried by the sunken vessel, 13 contained hazardous cargo, and 12 contained calcium carbide. The ship had in its tanks 84.44 metric tonnes of diesel and 367.1 metric tonnes of furnace oil. The ICG is gearing up
to tackle an oil or chemical spill risk scenario, if any. ICG ship Saksham, with pollution response equipment, has been positioned at the scene.
The sensitive coast of Kerala is home to both a vivid biodiversity and is a major tourist hotspot. ICG has geared up pollution response preparedness and coordination with the State administration for all possible scenarios. ICG aircraft with advanced oil spill mapping technology is undertaking an assessment of the situation. "Presently, no oil spill has been reported," ICG said.
According to the Indian Coast Guard, at around 1:25 pm Saturday, the shipping company MSC's officials intimated Indian authorities regarding the cargo vessel that was taking in water and tilted significantly. The shipping firm requested immediate assistance. In response, the Indian Coast Guard deployed two ships and its Dornier short-range maritime patrol aircraft. An Indian Navy vessel was also part of the operation. Videos and pictures from Saturday shared by the Indian Coast Guard show the vessel tilted to one side. At present, the reasons that have led to this flooding and eventual sinking are not known.
India's shipping authorities and the Coast Guard had issued directives to the ship managers to provide urgent salvage services for the vessel.
It is learnt that the vessel's 24 crew members comprised a Russian, a Georgian, two Ukrainians, and 20 Filipinos.