MSC charged in connection with containership sinking off India

Local police in India's southern state of Kerala have filed charges of negligence against Swiss shipping company MSC in relation to the sinking of the container vessel MSC Elsa 3 late last month.

Similar charges have been filed against the ship's crew.

The report filed by the Fort Kochi Coastal Police in Kerala stated that MSC and the crew were negligent in their handling of the vessel and the onboard cargo, which resulted in the incident as well as damage to the environment due to fuel oil leaks and the spread of debris.

The report alleges that the company and the crew were aware that MSC Elsa 3 was transporting hazardous cargo at the time but had nonetheless been operating the ship without exercising due caution.

The ship had a cargo of 640 containers, of which 13 had hazardous cargo and 12 contained calcium carbide, a chemical compound with traces of phosphorous and arsenic. The onboard tanks meanwhile carried 84 tonnes of diesel fuel and over 360 tonnes of furnace oil.

Around two dozen containers later ended up on a number of beaches in Kerala. State officials said the pollution resulting from the incident has adversely impacted the lives of at least 78,000 fishing families in four districts.

The Indian Directorate General of Shipping had conducted preliminary investigations and stated that a mechanical failure in the ship's ballast management system resulted in the sinking.

A surveyor working on behalf of the Indian Government stated that the investigations found, "no evidence of other causes of the sinking at this time."