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Liberian ship sinks off Kerala coast: ICG intensifies oil spill mitigation efforts
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....iberian ship sinks off Kerala coast: ICG intensifies oil spill mitigation efforts<BR>PTI News<BR>Dated:- 26-5-2025<BR>PTI<BR>Kochi/New Delhi, May 26 (PTI) As a Liberian cargo ship sank off the Kerala coast causing oil slick, the Indian Coast Guard has deployed offshore patrol vessels for monitoring of the site while pollution response vessel Samudra Prahari has been mobilised as the ICG intensifie....
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....d surveillance and spill mitigation efforts. Authorities in Kerala on Monday said many of its containers have started to wash ashore, with some of those being found along the coasts of southern Kollam and Alappuzha districts. "As there is a risk of the oil spill spreading, a high alert has been issued along the entire Kerala coast," according to a statement issued by the Chief Minister's Offic....
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....e (CMO) earlier in the day. Liberian container vessel -- MSC ELSA 3 -- sank off the Kochi coast early on Sunday, due to flooding. It went down with 640 containers, including 13 with hazardous cargo and 12 containing calcium carbide. It was also loaded with 84.44 MT of diesel and 367.1 MT of furnace oil, the Ministry of Defence said on Sunday. The ministry in a fresh statement on Monday said ho....
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....urs after the container vessel sank, the Indian Coast Guard's surveillance aircraft detected an "oil slick" at the site, and the ICG has launched a "full-scale pollution response operation". The ICG has intensified surveillance and spill mitigation efforts using aerial sorties and specialised dispersal equipment, the ministry said. "Two offshore patrol vessels (OPVs) remain on-site for round-t....
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....he-clock monitoring, while pollution response vessel Samudra Prahari and additional OPVs have been mobilised with large quantities of OSD (oil spill dispersant)," it said. The ICG launched a "full-scale pollution response operation following the sinking of the Liberian vessel, which sank approximately 15 nautical miles southwest of Alappuzha, Kerala, the ministry said. "By late morning on May ....
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....25, the oil slick was spotted drifting east-southeast from the site of the sinking at a speed of 1.5 to 2 knots. Rough sea conditions and strong winds made response efforts more challenging. "Despite the hazardous situation, with over 100 cargo containers floating in the area, some breaking apart and releasing their contents, ICG continued operations with full effect. To ensure safety, all passi....
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....ng ships have been diverted, and mariners have been warned to navigate cautiously due to floating debris and potential navigation hazards," it added. The Mercantile Marine Department, Kochi, issued a pollution liability warning to the vessel owners M/s MSC under the Merchant Shipping Act, 1958, the ministry said. The MSC appointed T&T Salvage for container recovery, oil removal, and environmen....
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....tal clean-up. "The ICG also advised the Kerala state administration to prepare for shoreline clean-up and to alert local communities not to handle any cargo or debris that may wash ashore," it said. Earlier in the day, a high-level meeting was convened by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan to assess the situation. An advisory has been issued urging coastal residents and fishermen to remain vigi....
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....lant. So far, nine containers have washed ashore, and an advisory has been reiterated for coastal residents and fishermen to remain alert, according to a statement issued by the CMO. The statement further noted that there is a higher likelihood of containers washing ashore along the coasts of Alappuzha, Kollam, Ernakulam, and Thiruvananthapuram districts. A full pollution response preparedne....
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....ss has been activated by the Indian Coast Guard which was monitoring the situation along with the Indian Navy. "Within hours of the vessel's submergence, ICG surveillance aircraft detected an oil slick at the site. ICG Ship Saksham, already stationed in pollution response configuration, was deployed immediately. An ICG Dornier aircraft conducted aerial assessments and dispersed oil spill dispers....
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....ant across the affected zone," the ministry said. Of the 24 crew members, 21 had been rescued by the ICG on Sunday, and the remaining three were later rescued by INS Sujata, which joined the rescue operation launched by the ICG. While a weather-related advisory remains in place for fishermen to avoid going to sea, fishing is strictly prohibited within 20 nautical miles of the shipwreck site, a....
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....nd the same safety instructions apply. A defence PRO said that three Indian Coast Guard vessels -- Vikram, Saksham, and Samarth -- have been deployed in the area in pollution response configuration, using infra-red cameras to detect the oil spill to contain its spread. Coast Guard officials at DHQ-4 remain in regular contact with government authorities to advise on potential shoreline clean-up....
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.... operations, the PRO added. The leak has sparked a statewide alert, as the spill is drifting and could soon impact the ecologically sensitive Kerala coastline. Meanwhile, the Office of the Chief Commissioner of Customs, Thiruvananthapuram Zone, stated that of the total 643 containers on board, 73 were empty and 13 were carrying hazardous and dangerous goods, including calcium carbide -- a chem....
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....ical that reacts violently with water to release highly flammable acetylene gas. "All goods on board were non-duty paid at the time of the incident, and any unauthorised removal or pilferage of such goods is illegal," the statement added. PTI KND/TGB KVK KVK<BR> News - Press release - PIB....