Salvage firm deputed to remove ship debris

Authorities in Kerala on Tuesday said that a salvage firm has been deputed to assess the scale of cargo containers that fell into the sea off the Liberian cargo vessel and to remove the debris of the ship that sank on May 25 off the coast of Kochi.

- Vishnu Varma

KOCHI:

Meanwhile, the Indian Coast Guard has confirmed that the oil spill, which emanated from the leak of the ship's fuel, is currently managed and that no oil has made its way to the shores of the state.

The Liberia-flagged MSC ELSA 3, which was carrying over 640 containers including 13 containing hazardous cargo, capsized early May 25 around 14.5 nautical miles from the coast of Kerala with all its 24 crew rescued by the ICG and the Navy.

The scattering of the containers into the sea and the eventual drifting of over two dozen to the state's coast since then has sparked fears of impact to environment and marine life. Officials confirmed that no container filled with hazardous cargo has been found near the state's coast till Tuesday evening.

K Rajan, minister in charge of disaster management, said on Tuesday that lifting the capsized vessel and removing its debris from the international shipping channel will be a key challenge.