Agency. The Indian Coast Guard on Monday continued its efforts to prevent oil leakage from a container ship carrying “hazardous” cargo that sank off the southern coast of Kerala a day earlier.
The 184-metre (603-foot) Liberian flag carrier (MSC ELSA 30) crashed off the coast of Kerala on Sunday. There were 640 containers on board, of which 13 were life-threatening cargo and 12 were calcium carbide. The ship was carrying about 370 tons of fuel and oil.
In a statement, the Kerala government said, “The Coast Guard is trying to prevent the spread of oil using two ships. “Dust is being sprayed to destroy oil using Dornier aircraft,” the statement said.
The ship sank due to flooding about 38 nautical miles southwest of Kochi, the Ministry of Defence said. Concerns have been expressed about the sensitive marine ecosystem that could fall off the coast of Kerala due to the sinking of the ship.
The government has put the coastal areas on high alert and warned people not to touch or contact any container. The ship, which was travelling between the Indian port of Vizhinjam and Kochi, sank on Saturday.
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