Environmentalists demand full disclosure of hazardous waste leakages from MSC Elsa 3
Reports indicate that the sunken ship was carrying hazardous materials, including highly reactive calcium carbide, furnace oil, and diesel, which may have leaked into the sea, creating an oil slick.
The global network of environmental group, Friends of the Earth (FoE), has expressed concern over the shipwreck of the Liberian cargo ship and the reported spillage of oil and hazardous chemicals off the Kerala coast.
'Reports indicate that floating containers are drifting toward the southern coasts, particularly Kollam, Thiruvananthapuram and Kanyakumari, raising serious environmental and livelihood concerns,' said Sarath Cheloor National Coordinator, FoE-India.
According to the FoE assessments, the sunken commercial ship was carrying 640 containers at the time of the incident, including 13 containers with hazardous cargo and 12 with calcium carbide. The ship was also carrying 84.44 metric tonnes of diesel and 367.1 metric tonnes of furnace oil, which may have leaked into the sea, creating an oil slick.
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Business Standard
a day ago
- Business Standard
Govt proposes mandatory towing vessel at all ports for emergencies
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India Today
a day ago
- India Today
What led to Air India crash? Pilots simulate accident, find key flaw, says report
While the reason behind the crash of the ill-fated AI 171 jet is yet to be ascertained, Air India pilots re-enacted the aircraft's parameters in a flight simulator and identified technical malfunction as a possible cause, Bloomberg reported, quoting part of the simulation, the pilots kept the landing gear deployed and the wing flaps retracted. However, it was found that these configurations alone would not have resulted in a India has declined to comment on the findings. "These are speculations, and we will not be able to give any comments at this time," an Air India spokesperson told India SIMULATION FOUND? Pictures of the wreckage of the doomed Boeing 787 Dreamliner showed that the flaps were in an extended position, and not retracted, as speculated. The flaps provide the extra lift required by an aircraft during the take-off and landing phases when its speed is London-bound aircraft crashed into a medical college campus within seconds of takeoff in Ahmedabad, killing all but one of the 242 passengers and crew on board, and another 34 individuals who were on the results, along with several expert analyses, have reinforced the technical failure angle as one possible cause of the ENGINE FAILURE?advertisementAn aviation expert, former US Navy pilot Captain Steve Scheibner, has suggested dual engine failure might be behind one of the worst aviation accidents in India in several an interview with India Today, he said the deployment of the ram air turbine (RAT) shortly after takeoff pointed to a dual engine failure. The simulation was conducted separately from the official investigation being carried out by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB). Sources told Bloomberg that it was done to explore possible analysis of the crash footage by Air India pilots found the landing gear was partially tilted forward, suggesting the retraction sequence of the wheels had been the same time, the landing-gear doors had not opened, which the pilots said indicated that the aircraft experienced a loss of power or a hydraulic failure - pointing to issues with the analysis of data from the black boxes of the doomed Air India aircraft is currently underway at the AAIB's laboratory in Delhi. It will help in reconstructing the sequence of events leading to the accident as well as give an idea why both engines simultaneously lost power.- EndsTune InMust Watch
Time of India
2 days ago
- Time of India
No significant pollution or environmental damage caused by MSC ELSA 3 capsize so far: Shipping company
Kochi: Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC), owner of the cargo vessel MSC ELSA 3, which capsized off Kerala coast on May 25, has informed high court that no significant pollution or environmental damage has been caused by the incident so far. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now According to MSC, the light oil sheen initially observed around the vessel's location was promptly contained, and it has since dispersed. All accessible vents and sounding pipes from which oil could potentially escape have been capped. Therefore, at present, there is no imminent threat of an oil spill, environmental damage, or any related consequences. These submissions were in response to petitions filed by former MP T N Prathapan and others, seeking comprehensive compensation and rehabilitation for fishermen and other stakeholders affected by the incident. The affidavit filed by MSC further states that of the 643 containers on board, 13 contained legally permitted hazardous cargo. It is believed that all 13 containers sank with the vessel. None of the 61 containers retrieved so far contained hazardous material. The other cargo on board included plastic products known as nurdles, of which more than 70 tonnes have been collected by special teams. MSC also informed that the removal of fuel from the vessel's bunker tanks requires saturation diving — a high-risk operation unfeasible under the current weather conditions. Also, the wreck does not appear to pose any navigational hazard and does not obstruct fishing activities. The vessel is currently stable and resting on the seabed at a depth of 54.5 meters. HC will consider the petitions on Wednesday. The affidavit also describes the events leading to the shipwreck, stating that at 1am on May 24, the vessel developed a concerning starboard list, which continued to increase despite efforts by the crew to correct it. At that time, the vessel was approximately 38 nautical miles southwest of Kochi and 21.5 nautical miles from the nearest Kerala coast. By 3.15am, the list had increased to 30 degrees. The crew still onboard took proactive steps to stabilise the vessel, and about 40 containers fell overboard, reducing the list to 20-22 degrees. However, the crew members were subsequently evacuated following a directive from DG Shipping, and although further efforts were made to correct the list, they were ultimately unsuccessful.
