Salvage firm tasked to remove debris of Liberian-flagged cargo vessel off Kerala coast

KOCHI: A salvage firm has been deputed to assess the number of cargo containers that fell into the sea off the Liberian-flagged cargo vessel and to remove the debris of the ship that sank on May 25 off the coast of Kochi, people familiar with the matter said on Tuesday.

The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) has confirmed that the oil spill, which emanated from the leak of the ship’s fuel, was being managed and that no oil has made its way to the Kerala coastline.

The Liberia-flagged MSC ELSA 3, which was carrying over 640 containers including 13 containing hazardous cargo, capsized early May 25 around 14.5 nautical miles from the coast. Its 24 crew members were rescued by the ICG and the Navy.

The scattering of the containers into the sea and the eventual drifting of over two dozen to the state’s coast since then sparked fears of impact on the environment and marine life. Officials confirmed that no container filled with hazardous cargo was found near the coast till Tuesday evening,

K Rajan, Kerala’s minister in charge of disaster management, said Tuesday that lifting the capsized vessel and removing its debris from the international shipping channel would be a key challenge.

“We still don’t know how many cargo containers have fallen into the sea off the cargo vessel. A salvage firm has arrived on the spot to help clear the debris and the cargo containers from the sea. The side scan sonar system of the salvage firm will be used to assess the number of cargo containers on the water’s surface as well as those that may have sunk into the depths of the sea. An understanding has been reached with the salvage firm on working together with the ICG and pull out the ship’s debris and the containers,” Rajan said.

“Since one side scan sonar of the salvage firm is insufficient for the task at hand, we have requested the side scan sonar of the Navy as well. The NDMA (National Disaster Management Authority) is learnt to officially put in the request to the Navy soon,” he added.

More cargo containers from the sunken vessel continued to drift towards the southern parts of the state’s coast on Tuesday, particularly to beaches in Thiruvananthapuram district. Locals confirmed that packets containing plastic granules had also washed ashore along with such containers.

Late on Tuesday evening, chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan directed the chief secretary and district collectors of Alappuzha, Kollam and Thiruvananthapuram to depute civil defence volunteers and clear plastic debris and waste that washed up on the coast.

A defence spokesperson said all assets of the ICG are being used to manage the oil spill. “The situation regarding the oil spill is currently managed and under close observation by ICG. As of 1:30 pm, no oil has made its way to the shores of Kerala,” the spokesperson said.

Need immediate action to handle hazardous cargo

Biju Kumar A, professor and head of department of aquatic biology and fisheries at Kerala University, said it was extremely important to identify the cargo containers containing hazardous substance including calcium carbide and remove them from the sea.

“There are 12 containers filled with calcium carbide which are toxic in nature. It can react with seawater and produce flammable acetylene gas. Such containers must be identified and shifted immediately. Also, the presence of sacks containing plastic granules on the coast must be viewed seriously. Fishes and other marine life can consume the granules easily. It will turn out to be a big environmental challenge for us,” Biju Kumar told HT.

The marine biology expert said that while the present state of the oil spill is ‘not a big environmental catastrophe, if it spreads, it will result in persistent, long-term effects.

“The pollution associated with an oil spill is persistent in nature. Paraffin wax has a tendency to settle down deep in the sea and can affect marine life including planktons and fishes through the consumption of hydrocarbons. So we need long-term monitoring,” he said.

Advocate VJ Mathew criticised the delay in removing containers with hazardous cargo from the sea.

“It is a big problem and there is currently a dangerous situation in the sea. It can explode anytime. The shipping company MSC does not have the infrastructure here to deal with the situation. The Pollution Control Board is also not doing anything other than taking samples,” said Mathew.

He questioned why the state hadn’t registered a case against the shipping company in connection with the incident and the subsequent oil spill.

“Maritime law states that the shipping company must be booked. The owners must be prosecuted and the costs for the damages must be recovered. Efforts are being made to hush up the matter,” the lawyer said.