MSC ELSA 3

scrapped

General information

Course/Position

Latest news

Castaways tested Covid positive

Though police have registered a case in connection with the sinking of the 'MSC Elsa 3', they are yet to record statements from the crew as most of them have tested positive for Covid-19. The crew members were placed under quarantine at a hotel in Kochi. The crew underwent medical tests recently, following which most of them were found to be Covid-positive.The police will wait for their health to improve before recording their statements. Meanwhile, they have sought details from the company regarding the wreckage and the cargo containers that fell into the sea and were seeking details from Vizhinjam port regarding containers loaded before the ship started voyage to Kochi port,”Once the legal formalities have been completed, the crew may approach the court seeking permission to leave the country. The court will impose conditions to ensure that the captain and crew are available whenever required for investigation or trial. The charges registered against the accused are currently bailable. The ship’s owner, Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC), has been named as the first accused. The vessel’s captain, identified as Russian national Ivanov Alexander, along with 23 crew members from Russia, Ukraine, Georgia, and the Philippines, have been listed as the second and third accused. The charges include negligent navigation, causing obstruction and danger in navigational routes, careless handling of hazardous, flammable, and explosive materials, and committing the offence in an organised manner.

Seals of tanks plugged and capped

The Directorate General of Shipping (DGS) on June 13 said that capping and plugging of all identified fuel oil tanks of the 'MSC Elsa' has been completed, and there was no evidence of oil leakage in the vicinity of the wreck. The oil containment measures have temporarily stabilised the situation, but a full risk mitigation will happen only on successful commencement of saturation diving to extract the remaining trapped fuel oil from the vessel. Delays in mobilisation of saturation diving equipment have already shifted the initial operational timelines. Hot tapping and oil extraction will take around 24 days, weather permitting. The DGS has directed the salvors to submit two revised schedules, one optimistic, assuming good weather, and one realistic, accounting for monsoon disruptions. Efforts to recover the Voyage Data Recorder (VDR) were not yet successful. The diving operations for it will continue. The 'Seamac III', from which the divers were working, has returned to Kochi for conversion to saturation diving operations. Which was expected to take three days. The Marine Emergency Response Centre (MERC) has reported that 58 containers have been delivered to port with one small container piece recovered during the day and the hydraulic oil barrels have also been secured. The nurdle recovery was continuing, but was taking time as more of it is being deposited on shores due to wave action. A beach-cleaning vacuum unit from Bengaluru was en route for field trials. The International Tanker Owners Pollution Federation (ITOPF) has recommended further increasing volunteer deployment to accelerate shoreline recovery. Meanwhile, the MERC continued to maintain daily site-wise cleanup activities across affected districts.d

Salvors and owners were given 48 hours for oil extraction

The Directorate General of Shipping has given the salvors and owners of the 'MSC Elsa 3' 48 hours to begin and complete the extraction of oil leaking into the sea, warning that failure to act would lead to civil and criminal charges. The notice was issued on the evening, of June 11. The ship had on board 84.44 metric tonnes of diesel and 367.1 metric tonnes of furnace oil. Delays in starting saturation diving - the recommended method for safely removing the oil -have seriously disrupted the operation’s timeline. Given the seriousness of the environmental threat and the narrowing operational window due to the approaching monsoon, the salvors and shipowners have now been given a final ultimatum to begin and complete the oil removal. A failure to comply would result in both civil and criminal liability being imposed under applicable Indian laws, and legal proceedings will be initiated before the competent courts without further notice, The divers were working from the 'Seamec III' in round-the-clock shifts, but worsening weather due to the incoming monsoon is putting pressure on teams to complete the task swiftly. The dive team has been expanded to speed up the work, and more equipment was being moved in. Completing the sealing and quickly transitioning to oil extraction was now urgent, before rough seas make further diving impossible. The divers successfully sealed multiple bunker vents and surrounding pipes that were contributing to oil seepage, with no active overflow currently observed. Continuous monitoring was underway for minor seepage detected from the sounding pipe of Fuel Oil Tank No 22. Sounding pipe leaks have been contained using layered sealing (plastic and polyester materials), and an additional loosened cap was tightened and secured to halt minor leakage. Centre Tank No 24 has been confirmed secure; precautionary sealing will be undertaken to eliminate any residual risks.