India's Kerala state on high alert as vessel with hazardous chemical cargo sinks

Published on 26/05/2025 - 18:34 GMT+2

A authorities of precocious alert has been issued successful India’s confederate authorities of Kerala aft a instrumentality vessel carrying hazardous cargo sank successful nan Arabian Sea.

The Liberia-flagged MSC ELSA 3 was sailing betwixt nan Indian ports of Vizhinjam and Kochi erstwhile it sank astir 38 nautical miles (70 kilometres) disconnected Kerala early connected Sunday greeting owed to flooding successful 1 of its compartments.

All 24 unit members were rescued, India's defence ministry said.

The alloy went down pinch 640 containers, including 13 pinch an unspecified "hazardous cargo" and 12 containing calcium carbide.

"As nan lipid slick tin scope anyplace on nan Kerala coast, an alert has been sounded crossed nan coastal belt," nan main minister's agency said successful a statement.

It besides had 84.44 metric tonnes of diesel and 367.1 metric tonnes of furnace lipid successful its tanks.

Authorities fearfulness that immoderate of nan harmful substances nan vessel was carrying whitethorn person leaked into nan sea, posing a consequence to section residents and marine life.

The Kerala main minister’s agency connected Monday urged group to enactment distant from immoderate of nan containers that began washing ashore.

It besides advised fishermen not to task excessively adjacent to nan sunken ship.

The Indian Coast Guard said it had sent an craft pinch an lipid spill discovery strategy to study nan area.

It besides deployed a vessel carrying contamination power instrumentality to nan tract of nan accident.