July 8, 2025
The Kerala government has filed a lawsuit against Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC), seeking $1.1 billion in compensation after one of its container vessels sank and leaked fuel into the Arabian Sea in May.
This legal action follows a Kerala High Court order on 7 July directing port authorities to “arrest, seize and detain” another MSC ship anchored at Vizhinjam Port until the company deposits securities covering the claim amount, Reuters reports.
In May, the MSC ELSA 3, traveling from Vizhinjam to Kochi, capsized while carrying 640 containers, including 12 containing calcium carbide, a chemical that poses fire and explosion risks if it comes into contact with seawater.
The vessel was also transporting 84.44 metric tons of diesel and approximately 376.1 tons of furnace oil, raising serious environmental concerns. Following the sinking, MSC began tracking and recovering containers that washed ashore.
Authorities in the southern Indian state of Kerala had been urgently working to contain the oil spill, putting coastal areas on high alert and stated that the Coast Guard took action to prevent the spread of oil using two ships and sprayed dust to destroy the oil using a Dornier aircraft.
