Coast & Vessels at Sea Face Risk of 'Dangerous Code' Containers

Alert Issued to Ships, Fishing Vessels Sailing Through the Specific Route Along the Int'l Shipping Channel

- KRISHNA KUMAR K E @Kochi

WHILE the listing of a Liberian container vessel 38 nautical miles off the Kerala coast poses a danger to other ships and fishing boats near the international shipping channel, experts point out that a possible bunker spill could threaten the marine ecosystem in the entire Alappuzha region.

"As per reports available, at least eight containers have already fallen into the sea. An alert has been issued to ships and fishing vessels sailing through the specific route along the international shipping channel," Captain Jismon Jacob, Alappuzha port officer and registering authority of Kerala inland vessels, told TNIE.

He said the ship -- MSC Elsa 3 -- was carrying IMDG (International Maritime Dangerous Goods Code) cargo.