MSC Elsa 3 wreckage can be assessed after monsoon, Union government informs Kerala High Court
Director General of Shipping, Union government inform court that the monsoon conditions over the wreck site are not conducive for conducting a safe and effective underwater operation
The Directorate General of Shipping and the Union government have informed the Kerala High Court that they are awaiting a response from the Indian Navy regarding the assessment of the MSC Elsa 3 wreckage. The ship sank off the coast of Alappuzha in Kerala in 2025 and the court heard that monsoon conditions made an underwater operation unsafe.
The government will take further steps once the Navy responds. The Division Bench of Justices Raja Vijayaraghavan and K.V. Jayakumar is considering public interest litigation filed over the shipwreck, which caused significant marine and coastal pollution. The government had asked MSC, the vessel's owner, to remove hazardous cargo and debris by a year after the incident.
The Nairobi International Convention on the Removal of Wrecks, 2007, obliges the shipowner to remove a wreck, but the court heard the wreck does not pose a danger to surface navigation. However, the cargo, plastic nurdles and calcium carbide, could leak and harm the marine environment. CSIR-NIO's assessment could help in understanding the environmental implications and determining any further measures.
Written by urgent.news from The Hindu's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — it may contain errors, so check the original before relying on it.
