Swift Action Ensures Safety After MSC Container Ship Capsizes Near Kochi

Minister of Ports, Shipping, and Waterways, Sarbananda Sonowal, conducted a thorough assessment with DG Shipping, the Secretary of Shipping, and other senior officials to tackle the consequences following the capsizing of the Liberian-flagged 'MSC ELSA III' container ship off the coast of Kerala near Kochi. Notably, all 24 crew members aboard the vessel were safely rescued after it capsized approximately 38 nautical miles southwest of the Kochi coast on Saturday.

The 184-meter ship departed from Vizhinjam Port on May 23, with an expected arrival in Kochi on May 24. "We are dedicated to ensuring the complete salvage of marine fuel and hazardous materials from 13 IMDG containers. The safe evacuation of all crew members was achieved with the support of the Indian Coast Guard," stated Sarbananda Sonowal on X.

In response to the incident, three ships—ICG Samarth, ICG Saksham, and ICG Vikram—were dispatched to the affected region. Additionally, the pollution response vessel Sagar Prahari left Mumbai and is currently on its way to the site. Aerial surveillance, using Dornier aircraft equipped with the MSS 6000 system, is being conducted regularly to monitor potential oil spills.

MSC's representatives have arrived in Kochi and are coordinating with both the Indian Coast Guard and MMD offices. The minister announced MSC's commencement of tracking all beached containers, with personnel being deployed to secure them.

Salvors have been employed for the operation, with T&T Salvage now stationed in Kochi to oversee efforts. Coordination between the salvor's expert team and local administration for container retrieval is ongoing, Sonowal reported. "We're closely monitoring the situation through DG Shipping, Indian Coast Guard, Kerala State Disaster Management Authority, @ndmaindia, MSC, and the Salvage Team. Every step is being taken to mitigate environmental risks from oil spills and hazardous containers," Sonowal noted in the X post.

Containers from the sunken ship were discovered on the Kollam coast on Monday, emphasizing potential environmental and navigational threats. The found containers, primarily red, raise significant concerns.

(With inputs from agencies.)