Authorities admit that effective oil removal from MSC ELSA 3 can begin only after saturation diving operations with specialised equipment commence — a race against time given the increasingly narrow weather window ahead.
Published Jun 11, 2025 | 9:57 AM ⚊ Updated Jun 11, 2025 | 9:57 AM
Air diving teams from Seamec III have managed to seal a leak from the sounding pipe of Fuel Oil Tank 22 of MSC ELSA 3using layered capping materials.
Synopsis: The Kerala government has released its cargo manifest of the cargo ship MSC ELSA 3, which sank off the Vizhinjam port on 25 May. Meanwhile, efforts are ongoing to douse the fire on MV Wan Hai 503, which caught fire on 9 June.
More than three weeks after the cargo ship MSC ELSA 3 sank off the Vizhinjam port, the Kerala government has released its cargo manifest, sources said on Wednesday, 11 June. It brings much-needed clarity to an incident that has raised concerns over environmental and maritime safety.
For days, details of 643 cargo items aboard MSC ELSA 3, which sank on 25 May, had been unofficially circulating, but the government had refrained from releasing an official version until now.
Meanwhile, the MV Wan Hai 503, carrying 1,754 containers — including 143 containers of hazardous International Maritime Dangerous Goods (IMDG) cargo such as flammable liquids, corrosive substances, and toxic materials — continues to drift in a south-southeasterly direction at about one knot.
MV Wan Hai 503 caught fire 78 nautical miles off the Kerala coast on Monday. However, situation reports from both vessels — MV Wan Hai 503 and MSC ELSA 3 — paint a grim picture.
According to the last available update, MV Wan Hai 503 remains around 65 nautical miles off the Kerala coast, beyond the 1000-metre depth contour. Even though about 40 percent of the fire onboard has been contained, thick smoke continues to billow from the vessel’s forward bays.
Indian Coast Guard (ICG) ships are conducting Fi-Fi (firefighting) and boundary cooling operations, with tugs and support vessels engaged in round-the-clock firefighting and salvage coordination.
The ICG has confirmed no structural compromise yet, but thermal and gas risks persist near the affected compartments.
Particularly concerning is the proximity of around 2,000 tonnes of fuel oil and 240 tonnes of diesel oil to the fire zone — a potential disaster-in-waiting should containment efforts falter.
International firefighting and salvage experts from Spain, the UK, and the Netherlands are set to join the operation within 72 hours, pending visa clearances. Foam and Dry Chemical Powder (DCP) resupply operations are also being coordinated through Kochi and Mangaluru ports.
Meanwhile, the sunken MSC ELSA 3, lying submerged off Vizhinjam, continues to pose a fuel spill threat. Air diving teams from Seamec III have managed to seal a leak from the sounding pipe of Fuel Oil Tank 22 using layered capping materials.
Another loose cap was secured, but new seepage has been detected from either Main Engine Lube Oil Tank 25 or 26, prompting immediate preparations for sealing.
Authorities admit that effective oil removal from MSC ELSA 3 can begin only after saturation diving operations with specialised equipment commence — a race against time given the increasingly narrow weather window ahead.
Dive operations are restricted to 30 minutes per diver, necessitating an urgent scale-up of personnel to sustain critical underwater sealing and recovery work. Adding to concerns is the risk of containers from both maritime incidents reaching Kerala’s coast.
While the Wan Hai 503 continues to shed containers as it drifts, the ICG and salvage teams are tracking their movement, with recovery operations to be initiated once additional resources are mobilised.
As monsoon conditions loom, both state and central maritime agencies remain in a high-alert mode, with continuous aerial and marine surveillance underway to track drifting containers, oil slicks, and vessel stability.
(Edited by Muhammed Fazil.)
