Environmental Concerns Mount as MSC ELSA 3 Wreckage Washes Ashore
The sunken MSC ELSA 3 container vessel off Kochi coast has sparked environmental alarms as containers wash ashore. The Indian Coast Guard has implemented pollution response measures, successfully rescuing all 24 crew members. Including hazardous materials, the situation poses significant navigational and ecological challenges.
- Country:
- India
In a concerning development off the Kollam coast, eight containers from the MSC ELSA 3, a Liberia-flagged container vessel that sank earlier in May, were discovered on Monday. These red containers, strewn across rocky shores, pose both environmental and navigational threats, prompting urgent attention.
The Indian Coast Guard revealed that the ship was carrying 640 containers, including 13 with hazardous contents and 12 containing calcium carbide. Further exacerbating the risk, the vessel held 84.44 metric tonnes of diesel and 367.1 metric tonnes of furnace oil, necessitating the activation of comprehensive pollution response measures by the Coast Guard.
All 24 crew members were successfully rescued through a coordinated operation by the Indian Coast Guard and Navy. ICG ships Saksham and Samarth, along with a Dornier aircraft, are now focused on mitigating ecological damage, as per Indian Navy PRO Athul Pillai. The vessel's sinking has heightened pollution threats in the region.
(With inputs from agencies.)
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