Liberian vessel sinks off Kochi coast; all 24 crew rescued, no oil spill reported yet

A Liberian-flagged container vessel sank around 38 nautical miles southwest of Kochi on Sunday following a severe list and subsequent flooding, the defence ministry said.

All 24 crew members aboard the ill-fated ship were safely rescued in a coordinated effort by the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) and the Indian Navy.

While 21 crew members were picked up by ICG assets, the remaining three who stayed back to assist with salvage efforts were rescued by Indian Naval Ship (INS) Sujata after they were forced to abandon ship as conditions worsened overnight.

The vessel, en route from Vizhinjam to Kochi, began tilting sharply with a 26-degree starboard list on Friday, prompting a distress call to the ICG Maritime Rescue Sub-Centre (MRSC) in Kochi.

A swift search and rescue operation was initiated, with ICG deploying a Dornier aircraft for aerial surveillance and diverting patrol ships along with two merchant vessels, MV Han Yi and MSC Silver 2, to the scene.

The vessel, which sank with 640 containers on board, was carrying 13 containers of hazardous material and 12 containing calcium carbide. It also had 84.44 metric tonnes of diesel and 367.1 metric tonnes of furnace oil onboard.

Given the environmentally sensitive marine ecosystem off Kerala’s coast, the ICG has placed its pollution response teams on high alert.

“ICG aircraft equipped with advanced oil spill detection systems are conducting aerial surveillance, and ICG ship Saksham, carrying pollution response equipment, remains deployed at the site,” the release said.

So far, no oil spill has been reported.

The rescued crew members include nationals from Russia, Ukraine, Georgia, and the Philippines.

The reason for the list is yet to be ascertained.