Minister of Ports, Shipping, and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal held a detailed review meeting with the Director General of Shipping, Secretary (Shipping), and senior officials to assess the ministry’s ongoing emergency response after the container vessel MSC Elsa 3 capsized off the Kerala coast. The Liberian-flagged ship, 184 metres in length, went down around 38 nautical miles southwest of Kochi on Saturday. All 24 crew members aboard the vessel were safely rescued with assistance from the Indian Coast Guard. The ship had left Vizhinjam Port on May 23 and was due to reach Kochi on May 24.

Salvage And Environmental Measures Initiated

In a post on X, Minister Sonowal stated, “We are fully committed to ensuring the complete salvage of marine fuel and other hazardous materials being transported in 13 IMDG containers.” He confirmed that Indian Coast Guard ships ICG SamarthaICG Sakshamand ICG Vikram had been deployed to the site. A pollution response vessel, Sagar Praharihas also departed from Mumbai and is en route. Authorities are conducting regular aerial surveillance using Dornier aircraft equipped with MSS 6000 systems to detect any oil spillage in the affected maritime zone.

Company Coordination And Container Tracking Underway

Continuous Monitoring And Emergency Oversight In Progress

(With Input From ANI)