Oil extraction from MSC Elsa 3 to take more time due to monsoon season: DGS

Kochi: The Directorate General of Shipping (DGS) on Wednesday said that due to the prevailing peak monsoon conditions and associated operational risks, it will take more time to extract oil from the Liberian-flagged ship that sank off the Kerala coast last month.

The DGS said that the present weather conditions provide only a "narrow and fragmented working window", which is unsuitable for "stable and safe" oil extraction efforts.

"Further delay would provide a more reliable window to safely conduct hot tapping and oil recovery," it said.

It further said that the vessel Nand Saarthi -- from where saturation diving operations for oil extraction were to be conducted -- remains at Kochi port due to prevailing adverse sea conditions.

"Upon improvement in weather, it will sail to the wreck site. Oil recovery equipment onboard Nand Saarthi is to be transferred to Canara Megh for the next phase. All accessories and gases remain available and are being held for deployment once the new contractor takes over," the DGS said.

It further said that the SEAMAC III vessel, from which the divers were working to plug the oil leaks in the sunken ship, has been demobilised and was proceeding to Mumbai as all the leaks have been plugged.

The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) has conducted aerial sorties using Dornier aircraft equipped with Pollution Surveillance Systems (PSS) to look for any oil slicks, the DGS said.

"No oil slick has been observed approximately 60 nautical miles from the wreck site. Additional sorties are planned to continue monitoring the situation," it added.

Besides that, satellite imagery from the International Tanker Owners Pollution Federation (ITOPF) is awaited to confirm whether there were any shoreline and offshore oil traces.

Therefore, presently, the salvage operations are in a standby/caretaking phase till the new contractor takes over, it said.

Regarding the clean-up operations, the DGS said that handling and disposal of plastic nurdles, which floated to the shores from the ship remains a concern.

"The customs authorities have requested treating the recovered nurdles as bonded cargo. Approximately 65-75 tons are now stored shore-side, awaiting a final disposal decision," the DGS said.

It further said that there was a need for a standard operating procedure for handling and disposal of the nurdles, that balances environmental safety with regulatory compliance.

It said that according to the ITOPF the recovered nurdles include varying polymer grades, posing challenges to standardised disposal methods.

"Onshore, the Marine Emergency Response Centre (MERC) has continued container recovery activities at Kollam, focusing on submerged containers using divers.

"Beach cleanup operations continue across Thiruvananthapuram with approximately 160 volunteers deployed," the DGS said.

However, the intermittent rains have slowed down the clean-up work on some days, it added.

"The air sorties and continuous coastal vigilance, in combination with onshore cleanup efforts, have been instrumental in monitoring post-wreck environmental impacts," it said.

The Liberian-flagged MSC Elsa 3 had sunk approximately 14.6 nautical miles off Thottappally coast in Kerala's Alappuzha district between May 24-25.

The vessel went down carrying 640 containers, including 13 with hazardous cargo and 12 containing calcium carbide. It was also loaded with 84.44 metric tonnes of diesel and 367.1 metric tonnes of furnace oil, according to the Ministry of Defence.

The vessel sank with oil still trapped inside.

On June 11, Kerala Police registered a case of rash navigation against the ship's owner, master, and crew.

An FIR registered by the Fort Kochi Coastal Police Station states that the owners, master, and crew handled the vessel--which was carrying combustible and explosive cargo dangerous to human life and property--in a negligent manner, leading to its sinking.