Kerala authorities are racing against time to control an oil spill following the sinking of a container ship off the coast of Kerala, with fuel and 100 cargo containers spilling into the Arabian Sea.
The Liberia-registered MV MSC ELSA3, which was sailing from Vizhinjam to Kochi, capsized at about 38 nautical miles off Kerala on Saturday. Authorities confirmed all 24 crew members were rescued safely. The whole ship has been ‘submerged’ now, the Kerala CM’s office said on Sunday, without giving the reason for it.
“The Coast Guard is also trying to plug the oil with two ships. An oil-destroying powder is being sprayed on the oil slick by a Dornier aircraft,” the statement said.
The vessel was carrying 640 containers, including 13 of “hazardous cargo” and 12 of calcium carbide, the Indian Coast Guard said. The material in the containers that plunged into the sea has not been revealed.
MSC Shipmanagement, the shipping company based in Cyprus and owner of the ship, has not commented on the incident yet.
The Kerala coast is still on high alert. Authorities have asked coastal people and fishermen to keep away from the containers, which began washing up along the coast yesterday. Fishermen have been asked to keep away from the sea.
In the Kollam region, officials have asked coastal residents to move to safer areas.
Oil spills can also have serious environmental impact, posing harm to marine life and the coastal fishing economy. Another such accident in 2017, a collision off Chennai, had far-reaching devastation of aquatic creatures and affecting the livelihood of thousands of fishermen.
