Disaster at Sea Exposes Cracks in Kerala’s Maritime Ambitions

Kerala, 30 May, 2025 - On an overcast May morning, the Arabian Sea did what warnings and protests could not—it returned to shore dozens of battered shipping containers from the MSC ELSA 3, a cargo vessel that capsized 38 nautical miles off Kerala’s coast on 25 May. Operated by the Mediterranean Shipping Company and sailing under a Liberian flag, the ship was carrying over 640 containers, including units laden with hazardous materials.

Among them was calcium carbide, a compound that reacts violently with water, releasing highly flammable acetylene gas. Though an explosion was narrowly avoided, the vessel’s 450 tonnes of diesel and furnace oil began to leak, creating a four-kilometre oil slick visible from the air.

This environmental emergency comes less than three weeks after Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Vizhinjam International Transshipment Port—a joint venture by the Kerala Government and Adani Group. Touted as a cornerstone of India’s maritime ambitions, the project now faces public scrutiny and ecological alarm.

The region's ecological sensitivity was well-documented. Scientists, environmentalists and local fishers had long warned against constructing a port in a climate-vulnerable zone prone to intense cyclones and unstable wave patterns—concerns now echoed in reality.

As containers washed ashore across Kollam, Alappuzha and Thiruvananthapuram, seawalls crumbled and residents were evacuated. Authorities warned citizens not to approach the containers and advised fishers to stay off the beaches. A further threat emerged as raw plastic pellets—used for manufacturing—spilled into the sea, choking the coastline. Despite mounting concern, the Kerala Pollution Control Board dismissed the pellets as “non-toxic”.

Fishers, already hit hard by warming seas and sediment disruption, now face beach contamination and a collapsing local market. Many fear their catch is now unsellable, tainted by pollution or public fear.

In 2022, fishers protested for 140 days against displacement and declining fish stocks, only to be met with criminalisation and inaction. Today, those same communities are on the frontlines of disaster response.

As World Environment Day 2025 approaches with the theme Ending Plastic Pollution, Kerala’s shores bear witness to the consequences of environmental negligence. This is not an accident—it is a failure of foresight in the face of a warming, unpredictable Arabian Sea.

Source : Down to earth