Shipwreck Kerala demands accountability from MSC Elsa 3 owners

    Thiruvananthapuram, May 29 (PTI) The Kerala government has asked the Mediterranean Shipping Company to take full responsibility for the damage caused after the Liberian-flagged cargo ship, MSC Elsa 3, capsized off the state's coast last week.
    Addressing a press conference here, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said the MSC company has held discussions with the Kerala government.
    "It has been demanded that the environmental damage in Kerala, the loss of livelihoods, and the impact on tourism be properly assessed and accounted for. The company was also urged to completely remove the ship from the Kerala coast," he said.
    The CM said that the shipwreck has been declared a State-Specific Disaster.
    The ship sank on May 25, about 14.6 nautical miles from Thottappally in Alappuzha district, after tilting two days earlier.
    The vessel was carrying 643 containers, including some with hazardous materials such as calcium carbide and plastic pellets known as nurdles. Around 100 containers are believed to have fallen into the sea, the chief minister said.
    So far, 54 containers have washed up along the coasts of Alappuzha, Kollam, and Thiruvananthapuram districts. Clean-up operations are under way, and local authorities have deployed police, volunteers, and drones to assess and manage the situation.
    The chief minister said a discussion was held on Thursday with the Director General of Shipping, in which the Chief Secretary and other officials participated.
    "As per the decisions made, all containers along the Kerala coast will be handed over to Customs. Currently, 20 containers have already been handed over, and the remaining ones will be transported to Kollam and handed over to Customs there," he said.
    Vijayan also stated that compensation claims need to be filed in this regard.
    "To assist the Kerala government with this process, Deputy Nautical Adviser Captain Aneesh Joseph has been appointed, as informed by the Director General of Shipping. Captain Aneesh Joseph has prior experience in assisting other state governments in filing such claims," he said.
    The CM noted that an insurance agency named Protection and Indemnity (P&I) has set up a liability desk in Kochi to handle damage-related responsibilities.
    The nodal officer for coordinating with this agency is also Captain Aneesh Joseph, he said.
    "He will be invited to Thiruvananthapuram this week itself, and a meeting will be organised involving nodal officers from all relevant departments. It is expected that this will help ensure that the claims are filed accurately and in a timely manner," Vijayan added.
    The CM said that hardship following the shipwreck have affected the families of fishermen. In the meeting, it was decided to provide temporary relief to them.
    Temporary aid will be given to the affected fishermen's families in the districts of Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Alappuzha, and Ernakulam.
    Each family will receive Rs 1,000 and 6 kilograms of rice as free ration, he said.
    "A review of the current situation was conducted in discussion with the Director General of Shipping. As per the present instructions, fishermen are advised to avoid fishing in an approximately 20 nautical mile area," he said.
    Vijayan said a ship from Puducherry is en route to the accident site.
    "A sonar survey to accurately determine the position of the sunken vessel and the containers lying submerged at depth began on Thursday. Once the exact locations are identified, they will be marked using buoys. After this marking is completed, discussions will be held regarding granting permission to resume fishing activities in other areas," he added.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)