New Delhi: Environmental concerns mounted after a cargo ship went down off the Kerala coast, with containers falling into the sea. Three crew members onboard have been saved. The three members had stayed onboard the Liberian-flagged MSC Elsa 3 following directions from their company. The vessel listed and capsised in the early hours of Sunday.
Earlier, in a coordinated effort, the Indian Navy and Coast Guard authorities had rescued 21 out of the 24 crew members on board, including one Russian, 20 Filipinos, two Ukrainians, and one Georgian.
Officials had said there is risk of oil spill due to the ship capsising. As many as 13 of the containers that fell into the sea from the vessel reportedly contained “hazardous cargo” and 12 were carrying calcium carbide. The Kerala State Disaster Management Authority has issued a public alert, urging people to stay away from objects that may wash and drift ashore. Kerala chief secretary is currently holding a meeting to assess the potential peril that the containers may cause.
A Liberian-flagged container vessel MSC ELSA 3 sank off the coast of Kochi around 0750 hrs on 25 May after developing a 26° starboard list. All crew members were safely rescued: 21 by the @IndiaCoastGuard and 03 by INS Sujata.
The vessel, en route from Vizhinjam to Kochi, was… pic.twitter.com/s3Pj1kujHZ
— Ministry of Defence, Government of India (@SpokespersonMoD) May 25, 2025
Containers with hazardous cargo and calcium carbide
In a post on X, the Coast Guard said: “All 24 crew members of Liberian-flagged container vessel MSC ELSA 3 were rescued safely, 21 by Indian Coast Guard and 3 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.”
The Coast Guard pointed out that it has activated full-scale pollution response measures and is closely coordinating with the state administration to manage all potential situations. Indian Coast Guard aircraft equipped with advanced oil spill mapping technology are also carrying out aerial assessment of the affected area.
The Coast Guad said it remains fully alert and committed to safeguarding te marine safety and protecting the fragile coastal ecosystem of Kerala. A Defence spokesperson in Kochi reportedly has said that the Navy and the Coast Guard are actively working to contain any oil spill.
