The container ship MSC Elsa 3 sank off the Kerala coast on May 25, 2025.
| Photo Credit: AP
A survey by the CSIR-National Institute of Oceanography (NIO) on the environmental impact of the sinking of the container ship MSC Elsa 3 off the Kerala coast on May 25, 2025 found a dead and deformed marine turtle at the shipwreck site and disintegration of oil slick into fragments under the action of heavy monsoonal winds and currents.
According to the preliminary findings of the survey carried out between July 25 to August 21, 2025 onboard the research vessel Sagar Sampada, a large patch of oil film was observed on the surface and it aligned further with the waves towards coastal regions. “Intense coastal upwelling along the southwest coast of India, where traces of Arabian Sea high-saline water masses were noticed,” it said.
The water column of coastal stations that include Kozhikode, Munambam, Kochi, Alappuzha and Colachel was found more oxygen-depleted than other transects, indicating the influence of oxygen minimum zone (OMZ) in the southeastern Arabian Sea. Gelatinous plankton was abundant in the zooplankton nets from the Kollam coast and northward. Blooms of gelatinous plankton were observed in the coastal stations (10 m, 20 m, 30 m and 50 m) of Kochi, Alappuzha and Kollam, as per the preliminary report.
The presence of Noctiluca bloom and bioluminescence was observed from the Kollam to Kozhikode stretch. An extensive Noctiluca bloom with discolouration of the upper surface waters was found at a coastal location (20 m) off Arthunkal.
The Kerala government had entrusted the Kerala State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) to engage the CSIR-NIO to carry out a long-term study to assess the extent of environmental damage caused by the shipwreck at a total project fee of ₹10 crore.
The agency will also develop a comprehensive restoration strategy and review existing maritime regulations, emergency response protocols and liability frameworks. The final report based on all field surveys is expected by July 30, 2026, as per a status report submitted by the KSPCB before the Principal Bench of the National Green Tribunal.
The Bench, comprising Prakash Shrivastava, chairperson, and A. Senthil Vel, expert member, had stated that the incident violated the provisions under the Biodiversity Act, 2002; Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974 and the Environment Protection Act, 1986. The tribunal had taken suo motu cognisance of the report titled ‘Containers from sunken ship likely to drift towards Alappuzha, Kollam coasts in 48 hours: INCOIS’ published in The Hindu.
Published – November 10, 2025 11:51 am IST
