Kerala: Efforts continue to remove 54 containers washed ashore
Around 17 containers washed ashore were removed from the Kollam and
Thiruvananthapuram coasts.
The removal of containers is being done by the Waterline Shipping appointed by Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC). The Waterline Shipping has already removed 13 from Kollam and four from Thiruvananthapuram shores.
However, fishermen complained that manual cleaning of plastic pellets, came off sacks and swamped the coast in many areas, is slow.
The 184-metre-long ship built in Germany in 1997 was carrying 640 containers, including 13 containing hazardous materials. Over 100 containers are reported to have been lost at sea, and several have washed ashore in Alappuzha, Kollam, Ernakulam and Thiruvananthapuram.
The vessel was carrying 367.1 tonnes of Very Low Sulfur Fuel Oil (VLSFO) and 84.44 tonnes of marine diesel fuel.
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