MSC ELSA 3

scrapped

General information

Course/Position

Latest news

Seven more crew members returned home

The Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) announced on Aug 31 the return of seven Filipino crew members of the 'MSC Elsa 3', ore than three months after their ship sank on May 25 . They arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 on board the Etihad Airways Flight EY 446 from Abu Dhabi on Aug 30. Representatives from the OWWA and the Department of Migrant Workers provided assistance to the, Six of their colleagues had already returned home on the night of Aug 29 via Qatar Airways Flight QR 928 from Doha, Qatar. A total of 13 Filipino out of on the whole 24 crew members of the sunken vessel have now returned to the country..

Oil removal to be completed until September 25

The extraction of fuel from the 'MSC Elsa 3' 14.6 nautical miles off the Alappuzha coast, has reached an advanced stage and the task was expected to be completed by Sep 25. The fuel extraction from the sunken vessel commenced on Aug 20 with saturation diving operations using advanced 'Diving Support Vessel (DSV) Southern Nova'. Specialized divers have been mobilized and preliminary activities have begun, marking a significant step in the process of fuel extraction and wreck management. The operation was suspended on July 12 due to adverse weather conditions experienced at the site due to South West Monsoon. The support vessel 'Offshore Monarch is assisting the Diving Support vessel in the fuel extraction at the site. Additionally, the tug 'Canara Megh' has been deployed to monitor the operations and enforce a one nautical mile exclusion zone around the wreck site to ensure safe diving activities. Entry of fishermen has been banned in the one nautical mile radius around the site of operation. Despite challenging underwater conditions in a water depth of 51 metres, the salvage team has successfully initiated the diving phase, which will continue in a phased manner, subject to weather and sea currents. As per the plan submitted by the SMIT Salvage firm engaged by the ship owners and the Protection and Indemnity insurer North Standard, the tentative timeline for oil removal and associated activities was set for completion by Sep 25, weather-dependent. Environmental surveillance of the area was also being maintained through aerial, coastal and satellite monitoring in coordination with the Indian Coast Guard and State pollution control authorities. While no oil spills have occurred so far from the vessel, precautionary measures remained in place, with response equipment on standby to address any eventuality. 66 containers and other debris of the 'MSC Elsa 3' have washed ashore the Kerala Coast as of Aug 21, which have been safely removed by the Marine Emergency Response Centre (MERC) team appointed by the owners. No other containers or debris have been sighted along the coast at present. The shore-side cleanup efforts by the MERC team to remove the plastic nurdles along the Kerala and Southern Tamil Nadu Coast progressed very well with the help of more than 500 volunteers per day. So far, 655 tons of plastic nurdles have been collected from the coastal areas and kept segregated for disposal.

More MSC ships detained

The legal woes for the MSC were continuing in India, with the Kerala High Court continuing to side with plaintiffs and attach MSC vessels as collateral for the growing number of claims. Twice this week, the court has ordered ships detained at the Vizhinjam Port pending a bond from MSC. On Aug 14, was the latest court hearing after six separate admiralty claims were filed. According to the court papers, the suits alleged that fishing nets, wire ropes, and other fishing material became entangled with debris from the 'MSC Elsa 3'. The court issued an interim order to detain the 'MSC Makoto II' at the port pending a bond. Earlier in the week, four Indian fishermen simultaneously filed claims with the High Court at the beginning of the week for damages incurred to their fishing vessels. According to the individual claims filed with the court, the four individuals said their vessels had been damaged by debris floating below the surface after the 'MSC Elsa 3' went down. They also said that debris had become entangled in their fishing nets, causing severe damage. They also included claims for lost metal chains, ropes, and other fishing gear. The filings were timed to the call of the 'MSC Palermo' at Vizhinjam. They demanded the arrest of the vessel, until their claims could be heard by the court. The High Court found for the plaintiffs and ordered the detention of the vessel at the port on Aug 12. The company’s representatives were able to post a bond against the claims. The vessel was released and resumed its voyage on Aug 13. These, however, were the fourth and fifth times that the court had detained an MSC vessel due to claims. In June, the 'MSC Polo II' was briefly detained for a claim by the Cashew Board, and four days later, the 'MSC Manasa F' was also detained. Both times, the company was able to post bonds for the release of the ships. The 'MSC Akiteta II' was detained in relation to the $1 billion claim filed by the state. MSC has not posted a bond to release the ship, which was originally detained on July 8. The ship remained at the Vizhinjam port as of Aug 16 with little prospect of being released in the short term.