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On Sunday (May 25), the MSC Elsa 3, a Liberian-flagged cargo vessel nearing three decades of service, slipped beneath the waves just 14.6 nautical miles off the Kerala coast, hauling with it more than 640 containers, among them 13 packed with hazardous chemicals and over 450 metric tonnes of marine fuel.

The vessel’s sudden capsize, coming as the southwest monsoon broke over the region, sparked immediate alarm, and the threat of an oil spill, toxic leakage and far-reaching damage to Kerala’s fragile marine ecosystem impending.

While all 24 crew members were safely rescued, the sinking was no mere accident. It exposed, yet again, the deep fault lines of global shipping, a world riddled with ageing vessels, weak oversight and flags of convenience that allow corporations to skirt responsibility while coastal communities are left to deal with the wreckage.

A 2022 study by Shuyan Wan et al documents a sharp increase in container ship accidents – groundings, fires and collisions, particularly in congested ports and high-traffic seas.

These events often involve hazardous or poorly documented cargo. Toxic leaks of heavy metals, fuel or chemicals like calcium carbide and nitric acid accumulate through marine food chains, threatening marine life and human health.

Yet, sunken containers often receive little regulatory attention.

Compounding the problem is the scale of global maritime trade. Around 90,000 ships now carry 80% of the world’s goods, using cheap bunker fuel that contributes roughly 3% of total global emissions. Massive ships, some exceeding 220,000 tons, leave behind significant impacts: oil pollution, airborne toxins, acidification and 6.4 million childhood asthma cases annually, as per a Nature Communications study.

The MSC Elsa 3 was no exception. The container vessel is owned and operated by the Mediterranean Shipping Company, one of the world’s largest shipping firms headquartered in Geneva. Built in 1997 and flagged under Liberia, a nation known for relaxed maritime oversight, the ship had a spotty record, with past incidents near Yemen and Nigeria.

Lost containers, particularly those filled with toxic cargo, are time bombs. In this photo, bags containing plastic granules from the cargo of the MSC Elsa 3 wash ashore near the Vizhinjam International Seaport on May 28, 2025. Credit: PTI.

Before its final voyage, five deficiencies had been noted during inspection in Mangalore, not long ago.

Preliminary findings now suggest that the........

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