Crime Today News
Kerala State Disaster Management Authority has issued public warning on the possibilities of hazardous materials washing off the coastline, after a container ship sailing from Vizhinjam to Kochi listed 38 nautical miles off Alappuzha coast in the Arabian Sea on Saturday, resulting in loss of containers overboard.
The cargo was reported to be dangerous materials such as low sulphur fuel oil and marine gas oil and KSDMA said that it could pose serious environmental and safety hazards. The officials said that coast guards have been alerted to the potential threat and intensified the surveillance. They have asked the public to report on sighting any containers or possible oil leak in the sea.
The Liberian-registered feeder ship MSC Elsa III with an overall length of 183.91 metres sailed out from Vizhinjam Terminal to Kochi on Friday and it started listing mid sea, losing several containers. Sources in the shipping circles said that the reason could be stability issues or failure of container lashing.
Loss of containers is an occurrence on container ships mid-sea due to heavy weather or failure of container lashings. The containers which have fallen overboard and not sunk or floating pose a risk to fishing boats and other passing ships in that area, the sources said.
Prakash Iyer, chairman of Cochin Port Users Forum, said that the ship was enroute to Kochi to discharge cargo and later to Thoothukudi. There could be several problems like stability issue or weather conditions for the incident. The Master of the ship could be able to give the exact cause of listing. However, the primary focus should be saving the life of the crew.
Published on May 24, 2025
This article first appeared on The Hindu Business Line
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