KOCHI: The underwater salvage operation of the sunken container vessel MSC Elsa 3 commenced on Monday off the Kerala coast, with the Directorate General of Shipping (DGS), Mumbai, supervising the multi-agency effort. The operation aims to cap fuel oil tank openings and remove oil from the sunken Liberian-flagged ship by July 3, subject to weather conditions.
The container ship, which sank 13 nautical miles off Kochi on May 25, has triggered a coordinated response involving offshore and onshore agencies, including the Indian Coast Guard, state authorities, and international salvage firms. The Diving Support Vessel SEAMEC III has been deployed to the site, equipped with decompression systems, Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV), and diving gear. A 12-member dive team is conducting air diving operations to locate and cap openings of the fuel oil tanks to prevent further seepage.
“The second stage of the operation, which involves oil removal via hot tapping, is scheduled to be completed by July 3,” a statement by DGS, Mumbai, said.
Offshore support vessels Nand Saarthi and Offshore Warrior, engaged by T&T Salvage Singapore, remain at sea dispersing light oil sheen. The Indian Coast Guard’s pollution response vessel ICGS Samudra Prahari continues to monitor the area. The Emergency Towing Vessel Water Lily has completed an initial multi-beam seabed survey, with data analysis currently under way.
Onshore, container recovery and shoreline clean-up efforts are being led by Marine Emergency Response Centre (MERC), Gujarat. Of the 61 containers washed ashore, 51 have been retrieved, while the remaining 10 — some submerged or lodged in difficult terrain — are under active recovery. Authorities confirmed that none of the containers contained hazardous materials.
Meanwhile, shoreline clean-up for plastic nurdles along the Thiruvananthapuram and Kanyakumari coast is progressing steadily with trained volunteers, as per SOPs issued by the state government.
There have been no reports of oil pollution along the coast so far. The Directorate General of Shipping is conducting daily reviews and a statutory investigation is under way to determine the cause of the incident.
Data
Containers washed ashore: 61
Containers retrieved: 51
Still submerged or lodged in difficult terrain: 10