TN on alert for toxic debris after Liberia-registered ship sinks off Kerala

The Tamil Nadu State Disaster Management Authority is monitoring the possibility of hazardous materials, spilt from the Liberia-flagged container vessel MSC ELSA 3, washing ashore the state's coast. As of now, no hazardous materials have been found on Tamil Nadu's coastline, the officials said.

The ship was involved in an accident off the Kerala coast on May 24, during the onset of the southwest monsoon, resulting in the spillage of fuel, plastic particles, and hazardous cargo containers into the sea.

Due to the intensifying southwest monsoon, plastic debris, containers, and other materials have been drifting and washing ashore along the coasts of Kerala and the southern coastal regions of Kanyakumari district.

The ship's sinking has left a trail of debris along the Kerala coastline. Several containers from the vessel have washed ashore in various locations, including the Kollam and Thiruvananthapuram districts. Efforts are being made to remove them.

The vessel, carrying 24 crew members, had reported technical issues and was tilting soon after departing from Vizhinjam port.

The Indian Navy and Coast Guard responded promptly to the distress call, deploying ships INS Satpura and INS Sujatha to the scene. Despite adverse weather conditions, including wind speeds of up to 40 knots and debris in the water, the Coast Guard successfully rescued all 24 crew members.

The crew member attributed the incident to a technical problem with some systems, rather than a collision. They mentioned that the situation worsened due to adverse weather conditions and the age of the vessel.

Earlier, a meeting was held under the leadership of Chief Secretary A Jayathilak with officials and district collectors in the background of the sinking of the Liberian container ship MSC ELSA 3 off the Kochi coast. The ship completely sank 14.6 nautical miles from the Thottapalli spillway. About 100 containers may have fallen into the sea. The ship's fuel oil has also leaked. However, all the crew members of the ship have been rescued.