The dream of Vizhinjam International Port was to bring the world to Kerala's shores. However, global sea traffic brings not just trade but also risk. Is Kerala truly prepared to face the next maritime disaster?
Published May 29, 2025 | 9:00 AM ⚊ Updated May 29, 2025 | 9:00 AM
MV Kairali.
Synopsis: Liberian container vessel MSC ELSA 3 went down off the Kochi coast, unleashing an oil spill that chokes the waves and blackens the hopes of Kerala’s coastal community. However, Kerala lacks a basic oil spill contingency plan, an oversight now laid bare after the ship sank.
On a monsoon-drenched morning, 30 June 1979, the MV Kairali — often referred to as the Titanic of Kerala — slipped away from the port of Goa, her hull heavy with 20,583 tons of iron ore, course set for Rostock in East Germany via Djibouti.
She was the pride of Kerala Shipping Corporation, a ship once known as Oscarsord, now flying the hopes of a young maritime state that dared to dream beyond its shores. However, somewhere across the Indian Ocean, the Kairali vanished, swallowed by silence, lost to the abyss. No distress signal, no floating debris, no oil slick — 51 lives lost. Just three days of routine messages, then, all of a sudden, ghostly silence.
MV Kairali ship.
Even after 46 years, the sea has been keeping her secret. As the saying goes, “The ocean never returns what it truly claims”.
And now, just weeks before the 46th anniversary of the Kairali’s disappearance, the Arabian Sea stirs again, this time not with silence, but with sludge and poison. The Liberian container vessel MSC ELSA 3 went down off the Kochi coast on Monday, 26 May, unleashing an oil spill that chokes the waves and blackens the hopes of Kerala’s coastal community.
There was no warning, no contingency plan — only the thick stench of crude oil and the rising panic of a state caught off-guard.
The dream of Vizhinjam International Seaport was to bring the world to Kerala’s shores. However, global sea traffic brings not just trade but also risk. Is Kerala truly prepared to face the next maritime disaster?
Despite pushing ahead with mega infrastructure projects like the Vizhinjam Port, the LDF government in Kerala has failed to implement a basic oil spill contingency plan, an oversight now laid bare after the MSC ELSA 3 sank, carrying over 450 tonnes of oil and 640 containers, including hazardous chemicals like calcium carbide.
KSPCB office in Thiruvananthapuram.
Nine years ago, in June 2016, the state’s Environment Department convened a high-level meeting to assess the preparedness of major accident hazard units. It was then resolved that the Kerala State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB), in collaboration with the Indian Coast Guard, would draw up an oil spill response plan covering shipboard pollution, tactical booming, marine emergency actions, and shoreline clean-up strategies.
Yet, nearly a decade later, the plan remains on paper. When South First contacted PCB Chairperson Sreekala for an update, she confirmed that the state still lacks an approved oil spill plan.
”We are still in the process of finalising the tender and evaluating the report,” she said. According to her, delays stemmed from disagreements over the cost estimate, which forced the board to go for a retender.
The absence of this plan has taken on critical urgency as several containers from the sunken ship have already washed up on the shores of Kollam and Alappuzha districts, and in Thiruvananthapuram, as of Tuesday morning. Some of these containers are believed to contain hazardous materials.
Asked about standard operating procedures to handle the drifting hazardous cargo, Sreekala said such decisions would fall under the jurisdiction of the respective district collectors.
”Our officers are stationed in Alappuzha and Kollam. District collectors will decide the procedure to deal with containers after meetings,” she said.
Cargo washed ashore, Visuals from Kollam Coast.
The ICG has stepped in to mitigate the threat. Three ICG vessels, Vikram, Saksham, and Samarth, have been deployed with oil pollution response configurations. These ships are currently using infrared sensors to assess the extent of the oil slick and are applying oil spill dispersant (OSD) to prevent its spread.
Additionally, a Dornier aircraft equipped for aerial pollution monitoring has been stationed at Kochi, while Samudra Prahari, a dedicated pollution control vessel, is being mobilised from Mumbai to join the efforts. Coast Guard District Headquarters No. 4 is also coordinating with other government agencies to advise on possible shoreline clean-up operations if the situation worsens.
An oil spill off the Alappuzha coast has prompted a coordinated response by the PCB’s Rapid Response Team, the District Disaster Management Authority, Coastal Police, and other departments.
Booms will be deployed to contain the oil at sea, and skimmers will pump it into barrels for transport to recycling plants. If oil reaches the shore and mixes with soil or sand, it will be collected and sent to Kerala Enviro Infrastructure Ltd. (KEIL) in Ambalamugal near Kochi for hazardous waste treatment.
A member of the RRT told South First that equipment such as brush skimmers, shore booms, absorbent pads, heavy-duty pumps, and vacuum pumps, largely unfamiliar in Kerala, were being mobilised for the cleanup. Around 20 oil recovery units from Kochi have also joined the efforts, with additional personnel deployed to manage the operation.
”We’ve never encountered a maritime disaster of this magnitude before, but given our limitations, we have been performing our duties effectively so far,” the RRT member said.
When South First Contacted U Ullas, president of the Alappad Grama Panchayat in Kollam, where the first set of containers and cargo washed ashore, he confirmed that authorities are on the ground and people have been evacuated. However, he raised concerns about the lack of proper cranes and equipment necessary for effective rescue and recovery operations.
“The local fishing community is panicked. Authorities have advised them to avoid venturing into the sea until the operation is completed, leaving them without a source of income for several days. Adding to their distress, rumours are circulating about the safety of consuming fish, which could further harm their livelihoods,” Ullas explained.
Meanwhile, experts pointed out the possible reasons for the ship’s sinking and its consequences.
Chairman & Managing Director of Cochin Shipyard Madhu S Nair explained that the vessel’s weight stability was clearly compromised. Saying that only possibilities could be suggested at this stage, he pointed to extreme weather as a key factor.
“Ships are built to roll and pitch without letting water in, but in this case, seawater may have entered as the ship tilted, worsening the lean and possibly causing container stacks to fall into the sea,” he said.
He added that “green water” might have entered empty ballast tanks, increasing the tilt. If containers then fell overboard, that would further disturb the balance. Though near-shore impact could tilt a ship, this vessel was 38 nautical miles out, in waters 750–1000 meters deep—ruling out underwater collisions.
“As the ship listed, containers likely collapsed in that direction, adding to instability. Water ingress may have occurred repeatedly, though human error cannot yet be confirmed,” he said.
When South First contacted Professor (Dr) MK Sajeevan, Head of Fisheries Resource Management and faculty member of Fisheries Engineering at Kerala University of Fisheries and Ocean Studies (KUFOS), the first Fisheries and Ocean Studies University in India, he explained that the oil spill and the spread of hazardous chemicals would severely damage the ocean habitat.
“It could harm a wide range of marine and coastal life, including birds, migratory birds, dolphins, eels, blue whales, and even small fish. Coastal plants, such as mangroves, may also suffer significant damage. If the oil spill continues to spread, it will deplete oxygen levels in the water, leading to a dead zone where aquatic life cannot survive,” he said.
“If the oil spill is massive, its impact could last for up to three years. However, the extent of the damage largely depends on the quantity of the spill. There is some hope that the packaging adhered to international standards, which could help limit the damage. We do have the technology to respond to such short-term disasters — including methods to extract the oil and use dispersants to break it down. Still, the full scale and depth of the accident remain unclear,” Sajeevan added.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan convened a high-level emergency meeting on Monday to assess the situation, confirming fuel leakage from the sunken vessel.
Classified as a Tier-2 disaster, the response involves national disaster forces under the supervision of the Director General of the CGI, who is overseeing the national oil spill response.
Additionally, the Mercantile Marine Department has issued a Pollution liability warning notice to the vessel MSC ELSA 3.
Despite these national-level interventions, environmentalists and policy experts are raising serious concerns about Kerala’s apparent lack of preparedness for maritime disasters, particularly as the state hosts a growing number of large-scale industrial and port projects along its vulnerable coastline.
(Edited by Muhammed Fazil.)
