Threat of pollution from ships: meeting of shipping, defence agencies held

Amid the raging fire on board the Singapore-flagged ship M.V. Wan Hai 503 off the Beypore coast since Monday (June 9), the sinking of Liberia-flagged ship MSC Elsa 3 off the Alappuzha coast on May 25, and the looming threat of marine pollution from the two vessels that were carrying hazardous and inflammable cargo, a meeting was held in Kochi on Tuesday (June 10) to take stock of the emerging situation.

The attendees included officials of the Directorate General of Shipping, Mercantile Marine department, Kerala State Disaster Management Authority, Indian Navy, Indian Coast Guard, and the Kerala Maritime Board as well as representatives of the Government of Tamil Nadu, it is learnt.

Officials of the Directorate General of Shipping said the priority was to douse the fire on Wan Hai 503 and to trace her missing crew members. Efforts by the Coast Guard ships to contain the fire have been affected by its spread to more areas of the vessel and the threat posed by floating containers that fell off the ship. This would be followed by efforts to curb pollution around the vessel and in places to which the pollutants spread. After taking stock of the situation, measures to salvage the cargo will be taken, in tandem with the ship’s owner firm and the other agencies concerned.

Officials of agencies under the Kerala government offered all help to mitigate the situation, it is learnt.