Container ship fire off Kerala coast
Credit: PTI Photo
Thiruvananthapuram: Triggering serious concerns, debris, believed to be from the Singapore flagged ship Wan Hai-503, has started washing ashore in Kerala.
A container, a life boat and some barrels were reported to have washed ashore at Alappuzha, Kollam and Kasaragod on Sunday and Monday.
The ship that caught fire on June 9 at 44 nautical miles off Azhikkal at Kannur in north Kerala was carrying hazardous and highly flammable cargo like resin solution, nitrocellulose and diacetone alcohol. Hence, the debris washing ashore raises more concern.
The container and a life boat were washed ashore at two different spots in the coastal areas of Kakkazhom in Alappuzha on Monday. The containers were believed to be empty. The district administration informed that the ship company authorities were asked to remove the debris.debri
A barrel was reported to be spotted on the coastal areas of Eravipuram in Kollam. On Sunday also barrels were reportedly spotted on the Kollam and Kasaragod coastal areas.
An alert was already sounded against going near any debris or suspicious objects spotted in the sea or along the shore.
Already the Kerala coast was facing serious environmental concerns after containers from the ship MSC ELSA-3, that sank in the sea off Kerala coast, on May 24 washed ashore. Tiny plastic pellets (nurdles) that washed ashore were posing a serious threat to marine ecology.
Various agencies are constantly monitoring the water and fish quality in view of the presence of hazardous cargo.