Crew Of Sunken MSC Elsa 3 Ask Kerala Court To Leave India After 11-Month Detention

Seven foreign crew members of the containership MSC Elsa 3 have approached the Kerala High Court seeking permission to return to their home countries nearly a year after the vessel sank off the Kerala coast.

The sinking caused major marine pollution along Kerala’s coastline and led to compensation claims worth more than ₹9,500 crore against the ship’s owner and operator.

The Liberia-flagged MSC Elsa 3 capsized and sank around 13-14.6 nautical miles off Alappuzha on May 25, 2025, while sailing from Vizhinjam port to Kochi. All 24 crew members were rescued by the Indian Coast Guard.

After the incident, the Mercantile Marine Department in Kochi reportedly instructed the crew not to leave the city without written permission. The crew members also said their passports were seized during the investigation.

The petition was filed by the vessel’s captain Ivanov Alexander along with six others, including the chief officer, chief engineer, second engineer and other crew members from Russia, Ukraine, Georgia and the Philippines.

The crew told the court they have cooperated with investigators for nearly 11 months and that no charges have been framed against most of them. They also stated that only the ship’s master was named in the police indictment related to the casualty.

According to the petition, India’s Directorate General of Shipping allowed 15 crew members to return home in August 2025, but the seven petitioners were not included despite repeated requests and emails seeking permission to leave India on humanitarian grounds.

The crew argued that their continued detention in Kochi was illegal.

A bench led by Justice Bechu Kurian Thomas sought responses from the central government, Kerala government, Directorate General of Shipping and the Mercantile Marine Department before posting the matter for hearing on May 29.

The sinking of MSC Elsa 3 led to widespread marine pollution along Kerala’s coast. The vessel was carrying 643 containers, including calcium carbide and plastic nurdles, small plastic pellets used in manufacturing.

Several containers and pollutants later washed ashore in different districts of Kerala. Authorities recovered around 630 metric tonnes of debris during coastal cleanup operations, while divers were deployed to remove oil from the wreck.

The Kerala government has claimed around ₹9,531 crore in compensation, mainly for marine pollution and losses suffered by fishing communities affected by the incident.

Environmental groups say plastic nurdles linked to the vessel are still appearing on Kerala beaches nearly a year after the sinking. They warned that changing sea conditions and strong waves may continue bringing debris from the wreck site to shore.

References: The Hindu, TOI