'Working with all agencies to contain risk': Sarbanada on Kerala container crisis
Urgent steps are being taken to recover marine fuel & other hazardous materials from 13 containers, the Union Minister said
Guwahati, May 26: The Union Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways has launched a multi-agency response to contain the fallout from the capsizing of the Liberian-flagged container vessel MSC ELSA 3, which sank off the Kerala coast on Saturday.
Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal, on Monday, said the Ministry is working in close coordination with the Directorate General of Shipping, the Indian Coast Guard, the Kerala State Government, and the container operator MSC to address the situation.
Following a high-level review, Sonowal said urgent steps are being taken to recover marine fuel and other hazardous materials from 13 containers classified as carrying dangerous goods (IMDG containers).
“We are fully committed to ensuring the complete salvage of marine fuel and other hazardous materials being transported in 13 IMDG containers. All crew members have been safely evacuated with the assistance of the @IndiaCoastGuard,” he posted on social media.
Three capital ships — ICG Samarth, ICG Saksham, and ICG Vikram — have been deployed to the affected waters, while the pollution response vessel Sagar Prahari departed from Mumbai and is en route to the site.
“Regular aerial surveillance is being carried out using Dornier aircraft equipped with the MSS 6000 system to monitor any oil spillage,” he said.
The Ministry also confirmed that four company representatives from MSC have arrived in Kochi. “They have been advised to visit both the Indian Coast Guard and MMD offices. MSC has initiated tracking of all beached containers and is deploying personnel to secure them in place. Salvors have been engaged and have arrived in Kerala,” Sonowal added.
Salvage operations are underway. “T&T Salvage is now in Kochi to coordinate the salvage operations. Coordination for container retrieval is ongoing between the salvor’s expert team and the local administration,” he said.
The Minister assured that the Ministry is continuously monitoring the situation through DG Shipping, the Indian Coast Guard, NDMA, KSDMA, MSC, and the salvage team.
“All possible measures are being taken to ensure immediate action to protect the coastal environment from oil spills and any risks arising from the breached containers,” Sonowal said.