What Happened to the MSC ELSA 3? Indian Coast Guard's Swift Response to a Maritime Emergency

Coast Guard Responds to Sinking Incident

New Delhi: The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) has heightened its alert status for pollution control following the sinking of the Liberian-flagged container ship MSC ELSA 3 (IMO No. 9123221) off Kochi's coast on Sunday.

The 184-meter vessel sank around 7:50 AM due to severe flooding.

All 24 crew members were successfully rescued—21 by the ICG and three by the Indian Navy's INS Sujata.

The crew comprised one Russian captain, two Ukrainians, a Georgian, and 20 Filipino nationals.

At approximately 1:25 PM on May 24, distress signals were received regarding MSC ELSA 3, which was about 38 nautical miles from Kochi and had developed a dangerous 26-degree list to starboard.

The shipping company lost contact with the crew and sought ICG assistance to ensure their safety.

The ICG's Maritime Rescue Sub-Centre in Kochi promptly dispatched a Dornier aircraft for aerial reconnaissance to locate the vessel.

The aircraft spotted two liferafts, with five and four survivors respectively.

Additional liferafts were air-dropped to facilitate the rescue.

Later, the ICG ship Arnvesh rescued twelve more crew members, while nine others were saved by MV Han Yi.

INS Sujata also participated in the rescue operation.

The MSC ELSA 3 had departed from Vizhinjam port on Friday and began listing during its journey. By 10:00 PM on May 24, only three crew members—the Captain, Chief Engineer, and Second Engineer—remained onboard to manage salvage operations.

Unfortunately, the vessel capsized and sank early on May 25.

Among the 640 containers onboard, 13 contained hazardous materials, including 12 with calcium carbide.

The ship was also carrying 84.44 metric tons of diesel and 367.1 metric tons of furnace oil.

The ICG has deployed its pollution response vessel 'Saksham' and is utilizing aircraft equipped with advanced oil spill mapping technology.

So far, no oil spill has been reported.

The ICG is closely monitoring the environmental impact, particularly given the ecological sensitivity and tourism significance of Kerala's coastline.