The Liberian container ship MSC ELSA 3 sank due to a mechanical failure about 38 nautical miles southwest of Kerala, India, with 640 containers on board, including 13 containers of hazardous materials (containing chemicals such as calcium carbide) and large quantities of plastic pellets (nurdles). The incident resulted in the leakage of oil and the spread of plastic pellets, and there was a risk of explosion from acetylene gas released from calcium carbide in contact with water. The Indian Coast Guard deployed ships and aircraft to spray de-oiling agents and recovered 22 tons of plastic pellets, but the spilled chemicals could cause long-term ecological damage to local coral reefs, mangroves and fisheries resources. The oil has now spread to the coasts of Kerala and Tamil Nadu, and environmental groups have warned that the plastic pellets could enter the ecologically sensitive Gulf of Mannar through ocean currents.
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