Kochi: The Indian Coast Guard (ICG)’s swift and coordinated response, supported by multiple agencies, slowed the spread of oil leaking from the sunken container vessel MSC ELSA 3 off the Alappuzha coast, Kerala.
On May 25, the Liberia-flagged container ship sank approximately 38 nautical miles off the coast of Kerala between the ports of Vizhinjam and Kochi. At the time of the incident, the vessel was carrying 640 containers, which included 13 with hazardous materials like calcium carbide. The ship also had 84.44 metric tonnes of diesel and 367.1 metric tonnes of furnace oil in its tanks. While all 24 crew members were safely rescued, the incident has raised significant environmental concerns.
ICG has confirmed that on May 26, 2025, no oil has reached the shoreline. About 46 containers have washed ashore across three coastal districts of Kerala, and more debris is expected, officials say.
Three Offshore Patrol Vessels and the specialised pollution control vessel ICGS Samudra Prahari have been deployed to contain and monitor the situation. Daily aerial surveillance and spill response sorties are being conducted by ICG Dornier aircraft from Kochi.
Following the vessel’s sinking, ICG issued early advisories to the Kerala state administration and activated coordination between key stakeholders to address potential oil or hazardous and noxious substance (HNS) pollution scenarios. ICG teams also engaged in tracking floating containers at sea and are sharing real-time alerts with local authorities to support shoreline preparedness.
Environmentalists, however, claimed that nearly 100 containers have washed ashore. The most disturbing fact, according to them, is the discovery of plastic pellets or ‘nurdles’ on the Kochu Veli beach and surrounding areas. These pellets are used to make plastic products. There is a major risk of these nurdles being injested by fish and other aquatic animals. They are also likely to end up in the human food chain as microplastics.
