Vessel sinks near Kerala coast, sparks hazardous fuel leak fears

Kerala is on high alert over a possible spill of hazardous fuel along its coast after a Liberia-flagged container vessel MSC ELSA 3 sank on Saturday en route to Kochi from Vizhinjam.

 

Of the 24 crew members, 21 were reportedly rescued by the Navy and Coast Guard on Saturday.

 

The crew of the ship reportedly includes one Russian, 20 Filipinos, two Ukrainians, and one Georgian.

 

Currently, the vessel is lying tilted in the sea near the Kerala coast. And, the State Disaster Management Authority has told the people not to touch containers that wash ashore, as they contain hazardous materials.

 

The hazardous materials and containers may impact the Alappuzha or Kochi coast, according to media reports.

 

The Kerala State Disaster Management Authority (KSDMA) and the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) are currently conducting the rescue operations.

 

The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) cannot do much as it does not have ships or boats.

 

The Coast Guard started operations almost immediately, with two ships dispatched within two hours. 

 

“In addition to the two ships initially deployed, the ICG may have added more resources, though it's difficult to confirm the exact numbers. The vessel is located around 30-odd nautical miles off the south coast of Kochi,” said a central government official.

 

There are two types of fuel the ship has — marine gas oil (MGO) and very low sulphur fuel oil (VLSFO).

 

Even a few hours after the incident, there was no specific information about a fuel leak.

 

Generally, although these oils are expected to leak, it can take time for leaks to occur or, in some cases, they may not leak at all, the source added.

 

The Coast Guard is prepared with necessary equipment to manage a potential leak.

 

Its first step would be to contain the oil spill by deploying barriers around the affected area. This helps contain the spill as it spreads on the surface.

 

They also have some chemicals to disperse the oil, although this technology has not been extensively tested.

 

Ultimately, the decision on how to proceed rests with the Coast Guard due to its expertise in handling such situations, the source added.