THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: As part of World Ocean Day on Sunday, activists gathered at Valiyathura beach to highlight the environmental impact of the MSC ELSA 3 shipwreck. The event featured a ship mascot set against a backdrop of plastic nurdles that have washed ashore since the wreck. The display carried the message ‘no time to waste’.
Plastic nurdles have been found along the Kerala coast and parts of Tamil Nadu after the shipwreck. The spill has sparked concerns about marine life, coastal ecosystems and fishing livelihoods. This comes just four years after a similar disaster off the Sri Lankan coast involving the X-Press Pearl.
Robert Panipilla, ocean conservationist and founder of Friends of Marine Life, said the damage to marine biodiversity and coastal livelihoods must be addressed. He demanded that MSC release the full cargo details. Jackson Pollayil, state president of the Kerala Swatantra Matsya Thozhilali Federation, criticised the company for remaining silent even after two weeks of the incident and called for a full clean-up and compensation plan.
Amruta S N, a climate campaigner with Greenpeace India, urged MSC to assess the damage, pay compensation and carry out restoration work.