The sinking of the Liberian-flagged MSC ELSA 3 off the Kochi coast in Kerala on May 25, has triggered an environmental crisis along the Kerala and Tamil Nadu coast because it spilled plastic nurdles—tiny pellets used in plastic manufacturing—into one of the world's richest 'Malabar' upwelling regions. Upwelling brings deep, cold water to the surface, propelled as they are by strong ocean currents and the rotation of the Earth.
There are five major upwelling regions determined by seasonal ocean current upwelling systems — the Canary, Benguela, California, Peru and Malabar. The Malabar Upwelling Region (MUR) stretches from Ratnagiri in Maharashtra to Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu. Although these regions form less than 1% of world's oceans, they contribute to more than 25% of fish catch. Each support a rich ecosystem and commercially important fisheries. These large marine ecosystems are increasingly under threat from over-exploitation, pollution and habitat modifications.
The Kochi plastic nurdle spill falls bang in the middle of MUR. Carrying 640 containers, including 13 with hazardous materials, the shipwreck scattered nurdles onto beaches from Thiruvananthapuram to Kanniyakumari, threatening one of India’s most biodiverse marine ecosystems. This marks the first major nurdle spill in India caused by a shipwreck, raising urgent concerns about ecological and economic repercussions.
Experts say the spill occurred as the upwelling system was taking shape where monsoon-driven winds lift nutrient-rich deep waters to the surface. This process fuels plankton blooms, sustaining nearly 50% of India’s marine fish landings, including small pelagic species like Indian Mackerel (accounting for 30% of marine landings, with India producing 90% of the global supply, 77% from the west coast) and oil sardines. The region’s high productivity, driven by sea surface temperature, salinity, and mixed layer depth, supports a complex food web, linking plankton to larger predatory fish and providing livelihoods for lakhs of fishermen. The spill’s timing during the monsoon upwelling period, when productivity peaks, heightens the risk of disrupting this delicate ecosystem.
The 2021 X-Press Pearl disaster off Sri Lanka offers a precedent for the potential impacts of the MSC ELSA 3 spill. After that container ship caught fire and sank 18 km off Colombo, it released 1,680 tonnes of nurdles, leading to over 600 beached turtles, damaged fishing nets, and nurdles found in fish stomachs, gills, and mouths. A recent study by international researchers from Denmark, Spain and Sweden on the impact of spilled debris from the X-Press Pearl disaster in Sri Lanka on marine plankton in a peer-reviewed journal revealed acute toxicity from leachates, with phytoplankton (Rhodomonas salina) showing minimal growth inhibition, meroplankton (Paracentrotus lividus larvae) experiencing 94% malformation at high concentrations, and holoplankton (Acartia tonsa nauplii) facing significant hatching reductions. These findings suggests the nurdles’ potential to disrupt plankton-based food webs, a critical component of the MUR.
In Sri Lanka, the spill’s economic toll included reduced fish catch and loss of tourism revenue, with debris spreading via currents over large areas. Similarly, the MSC ELSA 3 nurdle spill, combined with potential oil leakage (367 tonnes of furnace oil and 84 tonnes of diesel), could bioaccumulate toxins in the MUR’s food chain, threatening marine life and human consumers.
Biju Kumar, a marine biologist from the University of Kerala, warns, “We don’t know what is the quantity of the spill. We also don’t know what else is there in the sunken cargo containers. The incident has happened inside the MUR, one of world’s richest fish breeding grounds. What impact it will have on fish reproduction will be known only after the long-term impact assessment.”
The monsoon’s rough seas, accelerating nurdle weathering into microplastics (from 4 mm to 1 mm), further complicates monitoring and cleanup, as Kumar notes, “We can’t even conduct underwater monitoring to assess the quantum of spill under these conditions. We can do anything only after the monsoon.”
International efforts to address such spills are gaining traction. The Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee for the Global Plastics Treaty includes draft text referencing plastic pellets, a welcome step given their role in microplastic pollution. Amy Youngman, Legal and Policy Specialist at the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA), states at the IMO, “We at EIA call for multi-layered, puncture-resistant packaging with sealed inner liners. These should be resilient to crushing, puncture and moisture, and maintain containment even if containers are damaged. To strengthen this provision, Parties could consider more explicit language that encourages comprehensive measures across the full supply chain, including during production, transport and storage. Clarifying expectations around traceability, loss prevention and incident reporting would help ensure effective implementation and liability, and support alignment with emerging regional frameworks.”
The IMO’s April 2024 voluntary guidance recommends robust packaging and sheltered stowage for plastic pellets, but its non-mandatory nature limits enforcement. Experts advocate for mandatory measures to prevent future incidents like the MSC ELSA 3 spill.
The west coast of Kanniyakumari, rich in mussel resources, faces a severe threat from the nurdle spill. Filter-feeding mussels like Perna perna and Perna viridis (locally called “Thodu” and “Kallika”) inhabit seabeds and rocky zones, filtering plankton and organic particles. Over 1,500 fishermen from 10 coastal villages (e.g., Kanniyakumari, Muttom, Colachel) harvest approximately 400 tonnes of mussels between October and January, earning `500-1,200 per 100 mussels. However, nurdles settling on the seabed pose significant risks, including physical damage to digestive tissues, reduced feeding efficiency, bioaccumulation of toxic chemicals, altered reproduction, and increased mortality, especially among juveniles and spawning individuals. Continuous monitoring and underwater cleanup efforts are critical to protect this valuable benthic community, which supports local livelihoods, food safety, and biodiversity conservation.
The Indian Coast Guard classified the MSC ELSA 3 spill as Tier II, deploying pollution control equipment and aircraft, while the Kerala government mobilised volunteers for beach cleanups guided by drone surveys. The Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI), Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS), and National Institute of Oceanography (NIO) are conducting a 10-day vessel-based survey to assess water quality, sediment and fish contamination. Preliminary observations indicate no oil slicks, but long-term monitoring is planned for at least six months.
The Tamil Nadu government has also commissioned both short-term and long-term impact assessment studies. Chief Minister M K Stalin conducted a review meeting with the senior officials on Friday.