Liberian Vessel Sink in Kochi: A big cargo ship flying the Liberian flag, called MSC ELSA 3, sank near Kochi early on Sunday. The ship started taking in water in one of its sections, which made it sink very fast. All 24 people on board were saved. The Indian Coast Guard rescued 21 of them, and the Indian Navy ship, INS Sujata, rescued the other 3.
The ship was carrying 640 containers. Some of those had dangerous items, including 13 containers marked as hazardous and 12 containers filled with calcium carbide. It also had a lot of fuel stored inside over 84 metric tonnes of diesel and more than 367 metric tonnes of furnace oil, reports Indian Express. This raised concerns about a possible oil spill in the sea.
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The Navy and Coast Guard teams are now trying hard to stop the oil from spreading more. They are doing everything they can to control the situation. The Coast Guard ship named Saksham is already busy working on the oil spill. A special Coast Guard plane was also sent to help with the cleanup. This plane is being used in a special way that helps understand how much oil is mixed in the water, which helps in planning how to clean it up.
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The Kerala State Disaster Management Authority asked people to stay far away from anything that might wash up on shore from the sunken ship. Officials said people must keep at least 200 meters away from such things because they might be dangerous. The Navy informed that the containers could drift towards land at a speed of one kilometre per hour. Right now, coastal areas like Ernakulam and Alappuzha are most likely to see these containers reaching the shore.
A special centre called INCOIS, which studies the ocean, said some of the spilled oil might reach places like Alappuzha, Ambalapuzha, Arattupuzha, and Karunagappally within two days. T
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This could harm the environment badly, so these areas need quick action. INCOIS is working closely with other departments to monitor the ocean and give updates. They also used a special tool that helps find where floating containers might be. Their computer models are predicting where the oil might spread, so the teams can clean it up faster.
On Saturday when the ship tilted by 26 degrees it was still floating but was stuck in that position. The shipping company had sent another ship nearby to help. 3 crew members stayed back on the sinking ship, following the company’s instructions. The Navy was also checking if they could pull the damaged ship to safety. But by Sunday morning, the ship started sinking more and containers began falling into the sea. That’s when INS Sujata quickly brought the last three crew members to safety.
21 crew members are being taken to the Coast Guard’s jetty, while the captain and two other senior crew members are being brought to the Naval jetty in Kochi. A meeting was held by the Chief Secretary of the state to look into the situation and decide what to do next.
