Expressing deep concern at the spree of recent ship accidents that are occurring along the Kerala coast, the latest being the sinking of a container ship off Alappuzha and the raging fire on board another one off Beypore, the State committee of the Kerala Latin Catholic Association (KLCA) has demanded prompt registration of criminal cases and payment of adequate compensation to fishers and other coastal residents who are affected by these accidents.
These two aspects are crucial since the two accidents have resulted in widespread loss of livelihood options for fishers and innumerable others. In addition, there is also the looming threat of pollution to the marine ecosystem, following the sinking and fire incidents. In this situation, the State and Central governments must release scientific data regarding the extent of pollution due to the two incidents, especially along the Kerala coast. As part of this, a marine casualty investigation must be conducted to assess the extent of pollution and its environmental impact, Sherry J. Thomas, president of KLCA, and Biju Josey, its general secretary, demanded.
The State and Central governments must finalise compensation to fishers and other coastal residents under the protection and indemnity (P and I) insurance provisions. Sadly, a full-fledged probe is yet to be conducted into the sinking of Liberia-flagged MSC Elsa 3 that sank off Alappuzha on May 25 and the pollution caused by the incident. Any delay in probing and publishing the incident, and the yet-to-be doused massive fire on board Singapore-flagged Wan Hai 503 that has been raging since Monday off Beypore, will result in strong agitations along the State’s entire coast, they said.
The two vessels were carrying huge quantities of hazardous and flammable cargo, apart from hundreds of tonnes of different types of oil.
The Kerala Matsyathozhilali Aikya Vedi (affiliated to TUCI) has, in the meantime, expressed dismay at the ‘pitiable’ compensation of ₹1,000 per month that the State government has offered to fishers affected by the sinking of MSC Elsa 3, and the delay in registering a case against its owners. “This is nothing but an effort to ‘lighten’ the impact of the accident. The government must take a cue from governments abroad that give compensation which is often two to three times the cost of such ships. Moreover, it is not yet clear whether a committee that had been formed in the wake of the sinking of MSC Elsa 3, held discussions with the shipping firm MSC that owned the vessel,” said Charles George, State president of the Vedi.
He added that workers who had been deputed for coastal clean-up in the wake of plastic and other waste from the sunk ship that were washed ashore had not been provided protective gear, not even gloves. It is also to be seen how plastic pellets that have accumulated in between stones and granite boulders along the coast would be cleared. In this situation, the government must constitute a team of experts to assess the health and environmental impacts in the wake of the ship sinking and ship fire incidents. This is because fishes and other marine life are vulnerable to pollution due to the incidents, Mr. George said.
Published – June 11, 2025 12:28 am IST
