Greenpeace Calls for MSC to Pay for Sunken Boxship's Cleanup
Greenpeace India is demanding more action from Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) in the wake of the sinking of the MSC Elsa 3, the small boxship that went down off Kochi in late May. The operator is engaged in litigation with the state of Kerala, and has so far declined to pay compensation for pollution or interruption in economic activity along the coastline.
On May 25, the feeder MSC Elsa 3 was under way from Vizhinjam to Kochi with a cargo of 640 containers on board. The ship developed a list, and the crew sent out a distress signal and abandoned ship. The vessel capsized and went down with about 450 tonnes of fuel aboard, along with various chemicals and a substantial cargo of nurdles (plastic pellets). The salvor's plans for fuel removal are expected to begin in August, and cleanup of nurdle contamination is ongoing. In court, MSC's counsel has denied that the sinking has resulted in pollution.
As a precautionary measure, the Indian government banned fishing within 20 nautical miles of the wreck site, and Greenpeace reports that fears about seawater pollution have reduced public demand for fish in the region. This has led to a loss of income for local fishing communities, Greenpeace says, only partially offset by hardship payments from the Indian government.
In addition to concerns about fuel oil, the NGO reports that large volumes of nurdles (plastic pellets) have washed ashore on the coast of Kerala, the Gulf of Mannar and even the coast of Sri Lanka, far to the southeast. Nurdles have a negative effect on fish, birds, turtles and other wildlife, as the pellets are often mistaken for food and consumed. Kerala's Directorate General of Shipping reported that as of the beginning of July, an estimated 450 to 500 tonnes of nurdles have been collected from the shoreline.
Greenpeace called for the pursuit of a legal action against MSC to secure damages; three cases are currently under way. A public-interest suit filed at the High Court of Kerala has already resulted in the arrest of two other MSC vessels at Indian ports, held as collateral under admiralty jurisdiction while litigation moves ahead. Separately, the Fort Kochi Police have also registered a first information report - an initial allegation of criminal wrongdoing - against MSC, the vessel's master and the crew. Kerala's state government later filed its own admiralty suit to recover costs of the cleanup and damages, and its claims total more than $1 billion.
MSC Elsa 3 was a small feeder ship built in 1997. The 28-year-old vessel had a history of port state control deficiencies, including issues with her auxiliary engines, electrical systems, lifeboats and firefighting provisions, among others. The cause of the casualty has not yet been definitively identified, but Indian officials have alleged that the ship's ballast system suffered a malfunction.