Owners of sunken ship given 48 hours to complete extraction of oil leaking into sea

Kochi/Mumbai: Authorities have given the salvors and owners of a vessel that sank last month off the Kerala coast 48 hours to begin and complete the extraction of oil leaking into the sea, warning that failure to act will lead to civil and criminal charges.

The Liberian-flagged ship, MSC Elsa 3, sank approximately 14.6 nautical miles off Thottappally in Kerala's Alappuzha district.

The notice was issued on Wednesday evening, sources said.

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 tonne of diesel and 367.1 metric tonne of furnace oil, according to the Ministry of Defence.

The vessel sank on May 24 with oil still trapped inside.

In its latest update, the Directorate General of Shipping said that both state and central government agencies had issued a final notice demanding urgent action.

Officials say delays in starting saturation diving--the recommended method for safely removing the oil--have seriously disrupted the operation's timeline.

The Director General of Shipping stated that, given the seriousness of the environmental threat and the narrowing operational window due to the approaching monsoon, the salvors and shipowners have now been given a final ultimatum to begin and complete the oil extraction within the next 48 hours.

"Failure to comply will result in both civil and criminal liability being imposed under applicable Indian laws, and legal proceedings will be initiated before the competent courts without further notice," it said.

Although divers have managed to seal several leak points, minor seepage continues from one tank, raising fears of a larger spill.

Divers are working from the vessel SEAMAC III in round-the-clock shifts, but worsening weather due to the incoming monsoon is putting pressure on teams to complete the task swiftly.

The dive team has been expanded to speed up the work, and more equipment is being moved in.

Officials say completing the sealing and quickly transitioning to oil extraction is now urgent, before rough seas make further diving impossible.

"Divers successfully sealed multiple bunker vents and surrounding pipes that were contributing to oil seepage, with no active overflow currently observed. Continuous monitoring is underway for minor seepage detected from the sounding pipe of Fuel Oil Tank No 22," the DG shipping said.

"Sounding pipe leaks have been contained using layered sealing (plastic and polyester materials), and an additional loosened cap was tightened and secured to halt minor leakage. Centre Tank No 24 has been confirmed secure; precautionary sealing will be undertaken to eliminate any residual risk," it said.

On land, most containers that drifted ashore after the incident have been recovered. Drone surveys are still under way to identify any remaining debris.

Cleanup teams and volunteers have collected over 2,500 kilograms of plastic pellets, or nurdles, daily along beaches in Kanyakumari (Tamil Nadu) and Thiruvananthapuram.

Authorities are arranging temporary storage and final disposal of the recovered nurdles, with help from pollution experts and customs officials. A beach-cleaning vacuum system is being tested and may be deployed soon.

Meanwhile, Kerala Police have 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 on 24-25 May near Alappuzha district.