Synopsis: MSC ELSA-3 sank off Kerala in May 2025 with 640 containers, including hazardous cargo. NIO’s first survey reveal oil slicks, dead marine life, oxygen depletion, massive Noctiluca and jellyfish blooms, and confirmed petroleum hydrocarbons. About 357 tonnes of toxic nurdles have washed ashore. Meanwhile, calcium carbide containers at 3km depth pose ongoing risk. On the other hand, MSC has been accused of systemic safety failures. The full report of the impact will be out by 2026.

When the container vessel MSC ELSA-3 sank on 24 May, about 13 nautical miles off the Kerala coast with 640 containers—including 13 hazardous ones—it triggered one of the biggest environmental concerns the state has ever faced at sea.

For weeks after the vessel went down, the ocean offered only fragments

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