Authorities in the southern Indian state of Kerala have been urgently working to contain an oil spill in the Arabian Sea after container vessel MSC ELSA 3 sank over the weekend.
The ship capsized approximately 38 nautical miles off the coast of Kochi while transporting hazardous cargo on 25 May with authorities in Kerala scrambling to contain an oil spill on after the container vessel sank.
The government has put coastal areas on high alert and stated that the Coast Guard is taking action to prevent the spread of oil using two ships and the work of spraying dust to destroy the oil is in progress using a Dornier aircraft.
Consequent to sinking of MSC ELSA 3 off #Alappuzha, #Kerala raising #OilSpill concerns. @IndiaCoastGuard launched swift & robust response➡️#ICG Ship Saksham with #PollutionResponse gear, Dornier aircraft for aerial surveillance & #OSD dispersal.
02 OPVs incl. #ICG Pollution… pic.twitter.com/djER6Q2stO— Indian Coast Guard (@IndiaCoastGuard) May 27, 2025
To remind, MSC ELSA 3 had departed from Vizhinjam Port on 23 May and was expected to arrive in Kochi around 25 May. The incident is believed to have been caused by flooding in the cargo holds, which led the vessel to list and eventually capsize.
At the time, it was carrying 640 containers, including 12 with calcium carbide, a chemical that can catch fire or explode upon contact with seawater.
The ship was also transporting 84.44 metric tons of diesel and about 376.1 tons of furnace oil, raising serious environmental concerns. On 27 May it was also reported that MSC has started tracking and recovering containers that have washed ashore following the sinking.
