Shipwreck Raises Concerns About Ecological Damage In Kerala

The Liberian-flagged ship that sank off the Kerala coast has raised concerns about a potential oil spill and hazardous cargo, and the resulting ecological impact.

The ship ELSA 3, enroute from Vizhinjam to Kochi, tilted into the sea on May 24, 38 nautical miles (nm) off the Kochi coast and sank completely the next morning.

According to India’s Ministry of Defence, the ship had 640 containers, of which 46 were washed ashore in south Kerala on Tuesday, May 27. Also, tiny plastic pellets or nurdles, suspected to be from containers, were found on the coast of Thiruvananthapuram the same day. Nurdles scattered in the sea are hard to clean up and can endanger marine life. As per media reports, large quantities of nurdles, also suspected to be from the containers, washed ashore in the Kanniyakumari district of the neighbouring state of Tamil Nadu on May 28 afternoon, a few days after the ship began sinking.

Besides, of the containers remaining in the sea, 13 carry hazardous material, but authorities have not disclosed the nature of this material. Another 12 contain calcium carbide, which becomes inflammable when reacting with water. It can also make the water more alkaline, disrupting the marine ecosystem.

Under India’s National Oil Spill Disaster Contingency Plan, the incident was classified as Tier II (spills requiring regional or national intervention). As per the contingency plan, the Indian Coast Guard has been trying to control the oil spill on site while state agencies are coordinating the response on the shore.

Oil spill in patches now, containers yet to be tracked

The ship was loaded with 367 tonnes of furnace oil and 84 tonnes of low-sulphur high-speed diesel (HSD), according to a press release from the Ministry of Defence. “Low-sulphur HSD is commonly used in ships. We don’t know which of the two fuels leaked. Initially, the leak was in a 1 nm X 2 nm area, and later it spread to 2 nm X 2 nm,” said Commander Atul Pillai, Defence Public Relations Officer, Kochi.

He said the Coast Guard has largely contained the spill. “Three Coast Guard ships have been churning the affected waters while two Dornier aircraft sprayed oil spill dispersants. Earlier, the spill was visible from the aircraft; now, there are only patches. Coast Guard has also now dispatched a pollution response strike team and a pollution response vessel from Mumbai to analyse and handle the contamination,” he said.

When asked whether the oil spill could be fully dispersed, Pillai said, “We can’t say if more oil will leak out of the ship. As of now, the operation is going on.”

Biju Kumar, marine biologist and head of the Department of Aquatic Biology and Fisheries at Kerala University, says long-term monitoring is needed even if the oil spill is dispersed. There is no immediate concern as no fish mortality has been reported. However, diesel and engine oil contain several hydrocarbons, some of which are persistent organic pollutants and are easily absorbed and remain in the food systems. The oil will ultimately settle down, get converted into paraffin balls, and spread over long distances. That is a threat to the benthic ecosystem (at the bottom of the sea).”

More concerning, Kumar said, are the containers that are still missing. “None of the recovered containers have calcium carbide, which means we need to have a thorough search for the declared materials. Second, many items, like plastic pellets, were not disclosed earlier. So, what is in the containers is a concern.” Until Monday, two days after the ship began sinking, most containers washed ashore were either empty or contained non-hazardous materials like tea. By the next day, plastic pellets washed up.

The nurdles, 1 to 5 mm in diameter and considered primary microplastics, are used to manufacture plastic products. According to Kumar, this is the first instance of plastic pellet pollution from a shipwreck reported in India. He says the nurdles’ size and buoyancy allow them to travel far, and their resemblance to fish eggs causes aquatic animals to ingest them, which could be fatal. Nurdles can also absorb pollutants over time, gradually break down into micro and nano plastics, and enter the food chain. Kumar says nurdles should be removed from the spill sites and beaches as soon as possible. The state government has enlisted volunteers, who would be guided by drone surveys, to remove pellets from the shore.

Sreekala S., chairperson of the Kerala State Pollution Control Board, says, “We plan to coordinate with the administrations to remove the containers and materials. The shipping company MSC (Mediterranean Shipping Company) has agreed to remove these, and discussions on this are ongoing.” MSC is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland but ELSA3 was registered in Liberia.

The Mercantile Marine Department, Kochi, under the Directorate General of Shipping, has issued a pollution liability warning to the company, and MSC is reported to have hired an agency for cleanup.

Kumar says the government should form a consortium of experts to conduct long-term monitoring studies. “There is an international standard of practice for such monitoring. This includes frequently examining the water, sediment, and biota in the pelagic, mesopelagic (intermediate depths), and bottom layers. Filter feeders, especially mussels and shrimp, have a greater chance of accumulating chemicals. So, examining all these animals will give you a picture of the type and level of contaminants.”

He adds that such studies are usually conducted for about three years and should be extended if contaminants are detected.

Three institutions are conducting joint studies

Until May 27, ICAR’s Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI) scientists collected water and sediment samples from 12 shores where containers were washed up. These were in Ernakulam, Alappuzha, and Kollam districts. “The analysis will take time, but preliminary observations don’t indicate oil slicks,” says Ratheesh Kumar R., team member and senior scientist.

From May 28, CMFRI, the Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS), and the National Institute of Oceanography (NIO) are conducting a 10-day vessel-based survey. “We will collect water and sediment samples from different depths of the sea and measure water quality, alkalinity, oil content, biota, etc. We will also collect fish from 8-10 landing centres and look for any chemicals, oil, or hydrocarbons,” Ratheesh Kumar said. The survey locations would be selected based on INCOIS’s dynamic maps that project the oil drift based on wind and current directions.

CMFRI will continue the study for at least six months, though the sampling frequency may be lower, Ratheesh Kumar said.