All 24 crew rescued from capsized Liberian container ship near Kochi coast

KOCHI: The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) on Sunday confirmed that all 24 crew members of the Liberia-flagged container vessel MSC ELSA 3 have been rescued which capsized around 38 nautical miles southwest of Kochi coast.

According to the Indian Coast Guard, as of Sunday morning, all three crew members who remained on the ship were rescued by INS Sujata, which joined the operation on Saturday evening.

The other 21 crew members were already rescued, while the other three members, which included the Captain, Chief engineer, and second engineer, remained onboard to facilitate planned salvage operations.

The ICG further added that the reason for the vessel to capsize is due to flooding in one of the holds.

All crew are now safe and the ICG are assessing the situation for further action.

“Update as of 0830 hrs on 25 May 25:-In the early hours of 25 May 25, the vessel capsized rapidly reportedly due to flooding in one of the holds. 03 crew remaining onboard abandoned ship and were rescued by INS Sujata, which joined operations last evening. All crew remain safe and ICG is conducting assessment of the situation and issuing advisory to state authorities accordingly. Further updates follows,” the Indian Coast Guard stated on X.

Earlier, the Coast Guard PRO stated the Indian Coast Guard and Indian Navy are maintaining their positions to monitor the situation of the vessel.

Indian Navy are currently making assessments to determine if the vessel can be towed, aiming to prevent additional environmental damage.
The 184-metre-long ship had departed from Vizhinjam Port on May 23 and was expected to reach Kochi on May 24.

Around 1:25 PM on Saturday, the vessel’s operator, MSC Ship Management, informed Indian authorities about the incident and sought immediate assistance.

The Indian Coast Guard swiftly initiated rescue efforts, deploying ships and aircraft in the vicinity to provide aerial support. (ANI)