In the early hours on Monday, May 26, 2025, at least eight shipping containers from a capsized Liberian-flagged cargo vessel, MSC Elsa 3, hit the Neendakara, Karunagapally, and Shakthikulangara beaches in the Kollam district of the state of Kerala. With the ship parts washing up on the beaches, there is a spectre of possibility of leakages of hazardous chemicals into the ocean and sandbed.

While the revenue and the police officials have cancelled, extreme caution and have warned the localities of the hazards, some containers could contain hazardous and inflammable material that might not appear to be of any problem at first glance. Sekhar Kuriakose, the Member Secretary of the Kerala State Disaster Management Authority (KSDMA), has advised the coastal public to remain at a minimum distance of about 200 m from the beach containers.

These container ships were set out in the sea for Kochi from Vizhinjam but lost their path after encountering heavy weather 38 km southwest of its port of call during the early hours of Sunday.

Hazardous Containers a Big Risk

The Customs Department has verified the ship’s cargo and has informed national media that the sunken vessel threw a total of 640 containers, including 12 containing hazardous material. To this, the Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS) reported that more than one container was bobbing in the sea, posing a great threat to ships and smaller vessels, including fishing boats. The INCOIS has also warned the government of more containers floating around the shores of Kerala, chiefly around Thiruvananthapuram and Alappuzha in the coming hours.

There is a high possibility of these containers containing calcium carbide from the Liberian-flagged container ship. The beaches of Vellanathuruthu, Kovil Thottam, and Maruthadi have a probability of being affected as high as 25%. These regions need close monitoring, as stated by a communication issued by INCOIS. The same agency is responsible for activating its Search and Rescue Aid Tool (SARAT) to assist in locating containers or drifting objects that are floating on the surface of the ocean.

Oil Spill

The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) sources say that an oil spill was also reported during the incident, and its extent is being assessed. Currently, the INCOIS communication further says that oil spill trajectory advisory simulations were run to forecast the potential spread and movement of any oil discharges, especially the movements towards the beaches and habitat-rich areas.

Based on the hypothetical simulation, spilled oil pollutants can reach the coastal stretch of Alappuzha, Ambalapuzha, Karunagapally, and Arappuzha beaches within 36 to 48 hours of its release. And so, these coastal zones are at high risk of contamination and need prompt attention to minimize potential environmental impact, according to the Ocean Information Service agency.

The INCOIS is continuously keeping a close eye on the situation and is coordinating with the authorities concerned to provide vital forecast information and advisory services regarding the ongoing search, rescue, and environmental response operation.

The sunken ship was also supposedly carrying 84.44 kl of diesel and 367.1 kl of furnace oil as per a communication issued by the Ministry of Defence. Because of the sensitive marine ecology around these coasts of Kerala, the ICG has activated full pollution response preparedness. The ICG aircraft equipped with advanced oil spill detection systems are also conducting aerial surveillance of the area, while the ICG ship Saksham, carrying pollution response equipment, is deployed at the site for close monitoring.

Very recently, the final group of three crew members of the Liberian-flagged cargo vessel that tilted off the coast of Kerala on Saturday, that is May 24, 2025, and subsequently sank on Sunday morning with 640 containers, including 13 hazardous cargoes, were rescued by the Indian Army just before the vessel fully sank.

The vessel sank even as MSC sent another vessel to help in the towing, which was aided by the Indian Navy and the Indian Coast Guard. This effort required utmost precision to prevent further environmental damage.