Fear of flotsam

On May 28, 2025, some flotsam reached the western coastline of Kanniyakumari district. Panic spread as the residents of the coastal hamlets noticed bags of chemicals, plastic pellets (nurdles), and loose nurdles washing ashore amid the flotsam. As they were aware of the Liberian cargo vessel having sunk off the Kochi coast on May 25, roughly 300 km away, the villagers wondered with trepidation whether pollution had reached their coast too. The initial investigation traced the contents to the vessel, MSC Elsa 3, which found their way to the Arabian Sea after the shipwreck.
The ship had carried 644 containers, some of which had hazardous materials including calcium carbide, 367.1 metric tonnes of heavy furnace oil, and over 60 tonnes of diesel. As 28 huge containers from the ship which sank 38 nautical miles off Kochi washed ashore in the coastal areas near Kollam, plastic pellets were found in Thiruvananthapuram in a day's time.
Redirected southward
Ocean currents redirected some of the floating materials southward, causing them to wash ashore along the Kanniyakumari coast. The debris trail spread up to even Dhanushkodi and Arichalmunai in the Rameshwaram coast in the following days.
The debris, including a container, wooden materials, cashew nuts and bags of plastic pellets, began drifting with the currents and landing along the coast of Kanniyakumari. Dickson, a resident of Vallavilai, says, 'Most of us knew this would happen, once we got to know that the debris had started washing ashore along the coast of Kollam and Thiruvananthapuram.' He adds that apart from nurdles, a log, possibly of teak wood or sandalwood, also washed ashore at Vallavilai.
Villages, such as Neerody, Eraviputhenthurai, Enayam, Chinnathurai, Midalam, Kadiyapattinam, Simon Colony, Melamanakudy, Erayumanthurai, and Chothavilai, reported a significant amount of loose nurdles and bags of plastic pellets. Residents of Vallavilai, Kodimunai, and Midalam noticed iron rods and cashew nuts which were later traced to the shipwreck. On May 29, a container itself washed up on the coast of Vaniyakudi.
The district administration started its response in coordination with the Revenue and Fisheries Departments and the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board, with advice from experts.
On the 12-km stretch from Dhanushkodi to Arichalmunai in Rameswaram, about 80 bags of plastic pellets and more than 500 kg of loose nurdles have been removed so far.
As the clean-up and salvaging of the container were done in line with the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) laid down by the Kerala State Disaster Management Authority, conservancy workers and volunteers were roped in to collect the nurdles with protective gear, according to officials.
However, A. Biju Kumar, senior professor, Marine Monitoring Lab, Department of Aquatic Biology and Fisheries, University of Kerala, says, 'India does not have an SOP for handling plastic pellets in the sea.' Though the International Maritime Organization (IMO) has laid down norms for safe handling of such materials, India itself does not have any rules, he adds. While the plastic pellets would cause no harm to the handlers, a study should be initiated to find out its long-term impact on the marine ecosystem, he stresses.
Prompt alert
Kanniyakumari Collector R. Alagumeena chaired a meeting with representatives of 15 coastal villages. Speaking to The Hindu, she said fishermen promptly alerted the authorities to the situation on May 28 and thereafter, thus helping in immediate remediation. She added that the debris was packed into 25-kg bags and transported to the fishing harbours at Thengapattinam, Colachel, and Chinna Muttom. From there, they would be transported to the Customs Office at Thoothukudi.
According to the Kanniyakumari district administration, as of June 11, 58,375 kg of nurdles have been stored at the harbours in the district. The administration has formed a team to monitor accumulation of debris.
While the official measures offered some relief, the fishing community feels that the incident has not received adequate attention from the government, given its impact on marine life and livelihood. Sagar of Erayumanthurai is unhappy with the lack of legal action against the ship company and the harbour management. 'Fishermen are the ones who bear the brunt of this disaster,' he says. He points to the growing evidence of turtles and other marine species ingesting plastics. 'Who really knows how marine life or the ocean itself has been affected? Eventually, the livelihood of fishermen will be affected,' Mr. Sagar says.
Experts and fishermen from Dhanushkodi say that unlike the affected areas in Kerala and Kanniyakumari, the Gulf of Mannar region, which encompasses a wide area of corals, should be monitored.
'Plastics may stymie the corals'
Mr. Biju Kumar says that as the area hosts coral reefs, along with vital seagrass meadows and endangered species such as dugongs and sea turtles, a long-term study is indispensable for gauging the harm done to the ecosystem by the plastic pellets. The plastics depositing gradually on the polyps may destroy their growth, he says.
In the absence of a mechanism to remove the plastic pellets from the coastal areas, the clean-up would be an arduous task and the only option left is to study the future impact on the marine ecosystem. 'Though immediate consumption of fish from the region would not be a cause for concern, plastic pellets, already in the form of microplastics, can be traced in organisms living in the sea,' he says.
However, the Fisheries Department in Rameswaram has asked the fishermen not to use purse seine nets so as to avoid fish that could have swallowed the pellets. To assess the situation and ascertain the damage to the aquatic ecosystem in and around the Gulf of Mannar and Kanniyakumari, the Tamil Nadu government, along with the Suganthi Devadason Marine Research Institute (SDMRI) in Thoothukudi, has begun an environmental assessment of the coastal areas.
No disturbance in water
Early findings reveal no significant geochemical disturbance in water or sediment across the Kanniyakumari coast, with most physicochemical parameters and heavy metal concentrations falling within the acceptable limits. The samples collected included water, sediments, fish, and nurdles, according to sources.
SEM-EDAX, a technique that combines scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy analysis to study the morphology and elemental composition, and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), a technique to identify and analyse the chemical composition of materials, have revealed that the nurdles are composed of polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP) plastics. 'The assessment has also revealed the presence of nurdles in six fish samples from four sites, mainly in the gills, but some in gut, and all were PP plastics,' says the report. This indicates early exposure through respiration and ingestion.
The study has also revealed elevated Total Petroleum Hydrocarbon (TPH) levels at select sites in the district, indicating the preliminary stage of hydrocarbon pollution linked to the oil spill.
Although no immediate toxicological impact was noticed, the presence of nurdles in fish and TPH in the environment underscores the need for continued bio-monitoring, suggests the assessment done by SDMRI.
A similar initial assessment was carried out by SDMRI, along with the Forest Department, on the Mandapam group of islands — Hare, Manoli, Manoliputti, Krusadai, and Shingle Islands.
SDMRI director J.K. Patterson Edward says that although nurdles were found scattered along the seaward side of Hare Island on a shoreline stretch of about 2 km, no nurdle spill was found on the other four islands. Three unopened bags of nurdles were also found on Hare Island. He adds that no nurdle deposit was noted in the coral reefs and seagrass beds on any of the islands. However, when a few fish samples were examined, no traces of nurdles were found, he says.
Supriya Sahu, Additional Chief Secretary, Environment, Climate Change and Forests, says the Collectors had been tasked with steering and monitoring the clean-up in Kanniyakumari and Ramanathapuram. 'We are in touch with the Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS) monitoring the direction of ocean currents. We are also in touch with our counterparts in Kerala involved in clearing up the nurdles,' she adds. A long-term environmental assessment will be done.
The Principal Bench of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has taken suo motu cognisance of the shipwreck and directed the Kerala and Central Pollution Control Boards to submit detailed reports by July 23. The Principal Bench, comprising Justice Prakash Srivastava and expert member A. Senthil Vel, said the incident appeared to violate three key environmental laws: the Biological Diversity Act, 2002; the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974; and the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986.
Though the case is yet to be formally transferred to the NGT's Southern Bench, it came up for discussion there on June 10. At the hearing, Justice Pushpa Sathyanarayana questioned counsel for Tamil Nadu about the action taken so far.
Lack of guidelines
M. Geo Damin, of Poovulagin Nanbargal, an environmental NGO, says, 'As of now, no proper SOP or guidelines have been formulated by governments across the globe. While shipwreck or other coastal accidents are mostly unavoidable, the rescue and clean-up can be more spontaneous and effective.' As technological advances can provide the direction of water currents based on wind speed and other factors, the measures to contain the spill can be done more effectively, he says.
Though the government should provide compensation to members of the fishing community and the public affected by the spill, international mechanisms should be formulated to make polluters pay, he argues. He suggests simple measures — safe packaging of hazardous materials and stacking of hazardous materials at the bottom of ships — to limit the impact of accidents.
(With inputs from Geetha Srimathi in Chennai.)

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