MSC Elsa 3 shipwreck: Threat of oil spill into sea lingers as new seepage detected  

The Liberia-flagged MSC Elsa 3, a container ship carrying hazardous cargo, sank off the Kerala coast on May 25, 2025. | Photo Credit: Indian Coast Guard via AP

Though the underwater salvage operation of the container ship MSC Elsa 3 that sank off the Alappuzha coast on May 25 began on Monday (June 9), the threat of an oil spill into the sea from the ship still lingers off the coast of Kerala. The shipping owner Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) had roped in the Singapore-based T&T Salvage for the underwater salvage operation.

The team that mobilised diving support vessel SEAMEC III and divers to carry out an air-diving operation sealed a leak from the sounding pipe of fuel oil tank 22 successfully using layered capping comprising plastic and polyester cloth. Separately, a loose cap on another sounding pipe was tightened by divers, effectively stopping a minor leak. However, a new case of seepage has been detected from either main engine lube oil tank 25 or 26. Now, the divers are preparing to carry out the sealing procedures, said the latest situation report released by the government agencies.

The detection of minor seepage from one of the main lube oil tanks underlines the importance of continuing the sustained dive operations. As dive time per diver is limited to about 30 minutes, the scaling-up of diving personnel is necessary to meet the operational timeline amid an increasingly narrow weather window, said the report. Further, the oil removal from Elsa 3 and underwater recovery can essentially begin only after this ongoing diving operation.

Onshore, container salvage continues with 56 containers delivered to the port and four more under active recovery. A survey is scheduled to verify the status of two containers previously visible near the Kollam stretch.

Meanwhile, the volunteers continued beach clean-up exercises across Thiruvananthapuram and Kannyakumari.

Published - June 11, 2025 11:53 am IST