Kerala Declares Emergency After Ship Carrying Hazardous Cargo Capsizes Off Kochi Coast

The Kerala government on Sunday issued a statewide emergency after a  Liberian cargo ship, MSC ELSA 3 that was carrying 640 oil containers including some with “hazardous cargo” turned over and sank off the state’s coast. A warning was issued along the coastal districts for possible environmental damage following a meeting chaired by chief secretary A Jayathilak. 

“As the oil slick can reach anywhere along the Kerala coast, an alert has been sounded across the coastal belt. The containers are drifting in the sea at a speed of 3 km per hour. Besides the oil in the fallen containers, marine fuel used in the ship has also leaked,” the chief minister’s office said after the meeting.

All 24 members who were in the ship have been rescued by the Indian Coast Guard and the Indian Navy's INS Sujata. The coast guard has asserted that the incident occurred “due to flooding in one of the holds”.

While releasing a statement on X, the Coast Guard asserted that, “All 24 crew members of Liberian-flagged container vessel MSC ELSA 3 were rescued safely, 21 by Indian Coast Guard and three by Indian Navy ship, Sujata, after the vessel sank off Kochi this morning. The vessel was carrying 640 containers, including 13 containing hazardous cargo and 12 with calcium carbide. Additionally, the ship had 84.44 metric tonnes of diesel and 367.1 metric tonnes of furnace oil in its tanks.

According to reports, approximately 100 containers have fallen into the sea, as reported by The Indian Express. 

An official note has been issued asking the fishermen to remain ashore and “maintain a minimum distance of 200 metres and inform the emergency number 112.” Fishing has also been banned in the 20-nautical-mile area of the leak. 

According to reports, at least 10 containers have been found along the coasts of southern Kollam and coastal Alappuzha districts, as reported by PTI.

The Factories and Boilers Department had already been asked to prepare two Rapid Response Teams (RRTs) each in southern and central Kerala districts, and one each in the northern districts if the containers are washed ashore. The state’s pollution control board was also directed to prepare two RRTs each in the southern and central coastal districts and one each in the northern districts.