Kerala HC orders Defense Ministry to report on dangerous cargo threat from MSC Elsa 3 shipwreck

Workers at Grove Beach in Kovalam busily collect plastic debris that littered the Kerala coast after the MSC ELSA-3 container ship sank last year in Thiruvananthapuram June 7, 2026 | Photo credit: Nirmal Harindran

The Kerala High Court has ordered the Ministry of Defense to report on the condition of the hazardous cargo containers from MSC Elsa 3, a Liberian-flagged vessel that sank off the coast of Alappuzha in May 2025, and whether they remain properly lashed and secured.

A Division Bench of Justices V. Raja Vijayaraghavan and KV Jayakumar noted that the National Institute of Oceanography planned to conduct an environmental damage assessment and a long-term scientific study to determine the extent of damage caused by the wreck. However, he noted that the assessment is not a substitute for independent technical verification of survey reports.

In reviewing the survey reports, the court found that approximately 84 containers were partially submerged in the seabed and several had structural damage. The court expressed concern that it was not known whether the door remained chained.

The court reiterated the need for reports by the Mediterranean Shipping Company, the ship’s owners, to be carried out by a competent expert body to assess whether the wreck poses a danger based on its impact on the environment.

The Amicus Curiae informed the court that the Indian Navy has the required expertise in deep-sea diving operations, remote-controlled underwater vehicle-based interventions and complex rescue operations and has repeatedly undertaken challenging rescue operations and marine pollution responses. In addition, the Navy commissioned INS Nistar, the first diving support vessel designed and built specifically for complex deep-sea saturation diving, rescue and salvage operations.

Published – 15 Jul 2026 10:07 IST