Raft-like object washes up on beach near Kumta, suspected to be from sunken container vessel

KARWAR, KOCHI: A raft-like object, resembling an escape chute or liferaft, and other material washed up on the shore at Baada in Kumta taluk on Tuesday night following which the Coastal Police arrived on the scene on Wednesday and conducted inspections.

Locals, who spotted it, immediately informed the police. It is suspected that the raft and other materials may have washed ashore from the Liberia-flagged container vessel MSC ELSA 3, which sank off the Kochi coast on May 24.

The MSC ELSA 3 has left a trail of debris along the Kerala coastline. Several containers from the vessel have washed ashore at various locations, including Kollam and Thiruvananthapuram districts. Efforts are being made for its removal.

The vessel, carrying 24 crew members, had reported technical issues and was tilting soon after departing from Vizhinjam. The Indian Navy and Coast Guard responded promptly to the distress call, deploying ships INS Satpura and INS Sujatha to the scene.

Despite adverse weather conditions, including wind speeds of up to 40 knots and debris in the water, the Coast Guard successfully rescued all 24 crew members. A crew member of the Liberia-flagged container vessel MSC ELSA 3 expressed gratitude to the Indian Coast Guard for their prompt rescue efforts after the vessel sank off the Kochi coast.

“We thank the Coast Guard for saving us. They have been caring for us since yesterday, and their monitoring and communication have been excellent. We’re survivors because of their timely intervention, and it’s a good job. Thank you very much”, he said.

#WATCH | Kerala | A container of Liberia-flagged container vessel MSC ELSA 3 (IMO NO. 9123221) that sank off Kochi on 24th May washed ashore at Kollam coast, being removed. (27.05) pic.twitter.com/ZVtUZjHyX8

— ANI (@ANI) May 28, 2025

The crew member attributed the incident to a technical problem with some systems, rather than a collision. They mentioned that the situation worsened due to adverse weather conditions and the age of the vessel.

The Indian Coast Guard received a distress call from the vessel on May 24 at 12:15 hours. They promptly responded to the call and rescued all 24 crew members, administering first aid to those in need.

The crew member praised the Coast Guard’s professionalism and good communication, saying, “We’re all healthy and good, thanks to them.”

“Efforts are currently underway to respond to the oil spill with the assistance of multiple ICG assets. The situation regarding the oil spill is currently managed and under close observation by @IndiaCoastGuard.As of 1330 hr today, no oil has made its way to the shores of #Kerala state”, shared PRO Defence Kochi on X.

The ship completely sank 14.6 nautical miles from the Thottapalli spillway. About 100 containers may have fallen into the sea. The ship’s fuel oil has also leaked. However, all the crew members of the ship have been rescued.