The Singapore-flagged container ship Wan Hai 503 catches fire in the sea off the coast of Kannur in northern Kerala on June 9, 2025. | Photo credit: ANI
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Kerala witnessed two shipwrecks off the coast of two separate vessels – MSC Elsa 3 and MV Wan Hai 503 on 25 May 2025 and 9 June 2025. The incidents posed a serious threat to the marine ecosystem and coastal environment of the state. The container ship MSC Elsa 3 sank with 640 containers, including 13 with dangerous cargo and 12 with calcium carbide. After the incident, a large number of pellets, also called nurdles, washed up on the southern coast. This prompted authorities to step up efforts to formulate an Oil Spill Contingency Plan (OSCP). The Kerala State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB), which has been mandated by the government to initiate the required measures, has awarded the work to a Bangalore-based firm. The agency submitted a report dated 20 April 2026 to the National Green Tribunal stating that the draft OSCP was ready. The NGT principal bench took suo motu cognizance of the environmental impact caused by the sinking of container ship MSC Elsa 3 and asked the authorities to submit remedial plans.
What is required for a state-specific OSCP?
Kerala has a coastline of 590 km and the entire coastline is prone to oil spill disasters as one of the international oil shipping routes is adjacent to the state’s coastline. Out of 14 districts, nine are oil spill prone areas. According to the terms of reference for the preparation of the OSCP, oil tankers and other ships visiting ports located in the state pose a risk to coastal areas when they are involved in accidents. The proposal to develop the OSCP was initiated in 2016 as part of the Government’s review of the preparedness of major accident units to deal with chemical accidents. However, it was delayed due to various technical and financial obstacles. The scope of work included oil spills from the sea occurring within 12 nautical miles (24 km) of the Kerala coast and river systems extending 40 km inland or until the tidal effect is evident, whichever is greater.
What are the main points of OSCP?
It involves mapping the environmental sensitivity index of oil spills along the Kerala coast and preparing contingency plans for response. The framework will develop guidelines for oil spill emergency planning, wildlife response plans, shipboard emergency plans, and tactical surge/oil spill response plans. It will also include crisis management guidelines and maritime emergency response plans. The OSCP will highlight mitigation measures to be initiated as a result of an emergency, responsibilities of various departments, oil spill risk and containment priorities, coastal response operations, and administrative measures for coastal cleanup. It identifies areas involving fishing boat and boat traffic and maps ecologically vulnerable areas along the state’s coastline.
How will it address the need for an effective coastal response?
OSCP will recommend a detailed response plan with chain of command, duties and responsibilities. It will have contact details, a list of all available resources to be brought into operation in an emergency and a database of available machinery or equipment for clean-up operations and details of control equipment available in ports and harbours. The plan will highlight the steps to be taken before the shoreline cleanup can begin, including an assessment of the characteristics of the oil on the shoreline, site conditions, methods to be adopted, and prioritizing the scope of work required in each area. The OSCP will include the selection and proper use of spill disposal equipment. The KSPCB said the OSCP will be prepared in accordance with the National Oil Disaster Contingency Plan (NOS-DCP) guidelines of 2015, 2018 and 2024.
What steps precede the final OSCP?
According to the KSPCB, the OSCP proposal includes various aspects related to hydrodynamics, oil spill modeling, marine sensitivity index mapping and net environmental benefit analysis. It will be examined by a committee of experts. The draft plan will be submitted to the Indian Coast Guard – the central coordinating agency for combating oil pollution of the coastal and marine environment. The final OSCP will be published once the required permissions have been received.
Published – 8 May 2026 08:00 IST
