NEW DELHI: In a swift and coordinated maritime rescue operation, all 24 crew members aboard a Liberian container vessel, MSC ELSA 3, were rescued after the ship sank off the Kerala coast this morning.
The vessel, which was carrying 640 containers, including 13 with hazardous cargo and 12 containing calcium carbide, went down around 7:50 AM on May 25, approximately 38 nautical miles southwest of Kochi.
The emergency began a day earlier, on May 24, when the ship, en route from Vizhinjam to Kochi, developed a 26-degree starboard list due to flooding. The instability led to a distress signal, prompting an immediate response from the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) and the Indian Navy.
The ICG’s Maritime Rescue Sub-Centre (MRSC) in Kochi led the coordinated operation. An ICG Dornier aircraft was dispatched for aerial reconnaissance and located two liferafts with survivors. ICG patrol ships and nearby merchant vessels—MV Han Yi and MSC Silver 2—were diverted to aid the rescue, in accordance with international Search and Rescue protocols.
By late evening on May 24, 21 crew members, including personnel from Russia, Ukraine, Georgia, and the Philippines, were rescued by the ICG. Three senior crew members stayed onboard to assist with salvage efforts. However, the vessel’s condition deteriorated overnight, and it capsized early on May 25.
The remaining three were forced to abandon ship and were safely rescued by the Indian Navy’s INS Sujata.
The vessel was also carrying 84.44 metric tonnes of diesel and 367.1 metric tonnes of furnace oil. Given the presence of hazardous cargo and the ecologically sensitive waters off Kerala’s coast, the ICG has activated full pollution response preparedness.
ICG ship Saksham, equipped with advanced pollution control gear, is stationed at the site, while ICG aircraft with oil spill detection systems are conducting aerial surveillance. No oil spill has been reported so far.
The cause behind the vessel’s listing and eventual sinking is still under investigation.
