After cargo ship mishap, small patches of oil slick reported along Alappuzha coast

The Liberia-flagged MSC ELSA 3, a 28-year-old vessel, was sailing from Vizhinjam port in Thiruvananthapuram to Kochi when it capsized around 25 km southwest of Alappuzha. The ship went down with more than 600 containers, some of which washed ashore Monday.

“Our six-member team has found small patches of oil slick along the coast. The oil that reached the Alappuzha coast in small quantities is bunker oil used in ships,” he said Wednesday. “As the oil spill from the ship has been contained to a certain extent, we do not expect a massive oil slick. However, it would continue to appear in southern Kerala coast in the coming days also. Everything depends upon how much oil has leaked out from the ship.”

Dr Balakrishnan said the oil slick could affect marine life, especially since monsoon is breeding time for many fish species. “The impact would depend upon the quantity of the oil being oozing out from the ship. The direction of the wind and the current also decide on the impact and spread of oil slick,” he said.

On Sunday, INCOIS, under the Ministry of Earth Sciences, had predicted the spilled oil pollutant could reach the coastal stretch of Alappuzha, Ambalapuzha, Arattupuzha and Karunagappally within 36-48 hrs of release from the capsized ship.

The Indian Coast Guard had said Tuesday that efforts were underway to respond to it. This includes deploying vessels with oil spill dispersant to contain the spread of oil and mobilising a dedicated pollution control vessel, Samudra Prahari, from Mumbai.