Ernakulam:

A cargo ship carrying several hundreds of containers capsized in the Arabian Sea 38 nautical miles from Kochi, Kerala, the Navy has confirmed. The Navy's INS Sujatha rescued three more crew members in the early hours of Sunday. They were still on board the Liberian ship, MSC Elsa 3, as it began to sink after capsizing. Already, twenty-one crew members were rescued by the Coast Guard on Saturday.

Earlier, containers were seen falling into the sea when the ship was sinking. Attempts to load the containers from the sinking ship into another ship of the company were unsuccessful. Attempts to save the cargo ship, MSC Elsa 3, also failed as rough seas and heavy rains posed a challenge to the rescue operations. The Navy now faces the daunting task of removing the containers that have fallen into the depths of the sea.

Concerns over chemicals

The containers that have fallen into the sea from the sunken ship and the oil containing chemicals in them have raised pollution concerns in the Arabian Sea and on the coast. The State Disaster Management Authority had warned the public yesterday not to touch the containers if they hit the shore by any chance. There is a warning that if oil spreads in the sea, it should not be touched either.

The problems that arise if chemicals in the oil spill onto the sea also raise a great concern. Scientific analyses by experts on this is expected to be released. The rescued staff of the ill-fated cargo ship, who were natives of Russia, the Philippines, Ukraine, and Georgia, were provided emergency medical assistance on board a Navy ship.

MSC Elsa 3

The ship, MSC Elsa 3, a 184-metre-long Liberian-flagged container ship that departed from Vizhinjam, met with the accident. The ship, which departed from Vizhinjam port for Kochi on May 23, ran aground at around 1:25 pm yesterday, the Coast Guard said.

During the accident, nine of the 24 crew members on board jumped off the ship and were in life rafts. They were the first to be rescued. The rescue operation was carried out by ICG aircraft (Dornier) dropping more life rafts near the ship. Efforts were made by the Indian Coast Guard, Army and Navy to prevent loss of life and environmental damage. All the crew members of the ship were rescued.

MSC Ship Management reported that their ship, which is about 38 miles southwest of Kochi, was involved in an accident and sought immediate assistance, and that the rescue operations are being coordinated by the Indian Coast Guard.

Fallen containers drifting

The Disaster Management Authority has warned that the containers on the ship are likely to hit the Ernakulam and Alappuzha coasts. Minister VN Vasavan said that more containers are falling into the sea from the capsized ship. The containers that have fallen into the sea are drifting at a speed of one kilometre per hour. Then, the coastal residents of Ernakulam and Alappuzha and those involved in fishing should be extremely cautious, the minister said.

The MSC Elsa 3 is a cargo ship built in 1997 by the Mediterranean Shipping Company. It is registered in the West African country of Liberia. The ship is 183.91 meters long and 25.30 meters wide. The ship, which arrived in Vizhinjam at 8.22 pm on Wednesday, was leaving Vizhinjam for the Kochi port at 2.26 pm on Friday with fuel. It was supposed to anchor at the Kochi port at 4.30 pm yesterday.

The Navy tried new technologies and external help to save the ship by putting weights inside and towing it to land, but all of these efforts failed. It was assessed that at least some of the containers contained potentially deadly chemicals and attempts were made to remove them. However, due to adverse weather conditions and rough seas, all such efforts failed by this morning.

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