MSC Elsa 3 wreckage: Hazardous cargo left abandoned in Kerala
KOCHI: Nine months after the Liberian-flagged cargo vessel MSC Elsa 3 sank into the depths of the Arabian Sea, around 14.6 nautical miles off Thottappally harbour in Alappuzha, the concerns raised by environmentalists in Kerala seem to be playing out.
The Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC), which operated Elsa 3, has washed its hands of the environmental impact, and Smit Salvage, the team engaged by operator, has quietly abandoned the salvage operations and returned. The ship capsized on May 25, 2025.
“The extraction of oil using hot tapping technology was completed on October 10. However, the salvage team informed that they do not have the expertise to salvage wrecked ships beyond a depth of 50m. They had arrived with all the support system to retrieve the wreck, but after conducting the inspection, they expressed helplessness.
They submitted a compliance report to the DG Shipping after completing the oil extraction. But the team has not since returned,” said Mercantile Marine Department principal officer J Senthil Kumar.
As per the Nairobi International Convention on the Removal of Wrecks, 2007, adopted by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO), the ship owner has the liability to identify, report, and remove hazardous wrecks and other debris from the sea.
The convention covers sunken or stranded ships and any object lost at sea that poses a hazard to navigation, marine environment, coastal interests, or the safety of life and property.
The fishermen in Alappuzha and Ernakulam districts had complained that they suffered huge losses as their nets were torn after getting entangled in the sunken vessel and containers.
‘DG Shipping should ensure removal of wreckage, address state’s concerns’
In a press conference on May 28, Director General of Shipping Shyam Jagannathan had said that the sunken vessel would not be abandoned and all the containers would be removed. He had assured that the salvage team would start lifting the containers and shipwreck after completing oil extraction. But the team never returned, and there has not been any response from the ship owner.
The ship carried 640 containers, of which 13 contained hazardous cargo. There were 12 containers of calcium carbide, one container with rubber chemical anti-oxidants and plastic nodules.
The MSC had initially engaged T and T Salvage, a global leader in salvage operations to remove oil and the wreckage. However, the company backtracked a week after completing the oil spill control operations, claiming that they lacked the expertise in lifting the wreckage located at a depth of around 55m. Later, the MSC team roped in Smit Salvage, a global leader in salvage, wreck removal and environmental care services.
The withdrawal of the salvage team and non-response from the ship owner indicated that the wreckage and the hazardous containers would be left abandoned on the seabed.
According to sources, five containers carrying calcium carbide were on the deck of Elsa 3, which might have landed on the sea floor. The other seven containers are in the cargo hold. The calcium carbide is stored in 200-litre drums inside the containers.
Meanwhile, state environment director Suneel Pamidi said no information regarding the recovery of the wreckage has been shared with the government. The state government had detained MSC Akiteta 2, a sister vessel of MSC, demanding compensation for the damage caused to the environment by the shipwreck. The state had filed an admiralty suit demanding a compensation of Rs 9,531 crore. As the owner provided a bank guarantee of Rs 1,227.62 crore, the vessel was released last month.
“It is for the DG Shipping to ensure the removal of the wreckage, which can cause damage to the environment. The concerns of the state should be addressed,” said Kerala State Disaster Management Authority member secretary Sekhar Kuriakose.