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The Hindu
9 hours ago
- General
- The Hindu
Derelict boats near Thengapattanam and Thoothukudi pose growing environmental threat
Damaged and abandoned mechanised and country boats docked near Thengapattanam harbour as well as fishing vessels lying idle in the old harbour in Thoothukudi for the past few years pose a significant risk to marine pollution and other environmental degradation. For the past few weeks, there has been a colossal amount of reports highlighting debris washing ashore away shipwrecks, microplastic contamination and other marine pollution issues. While plastic bottles, food wrappers, plastic bags and other plastic materials commonly cited as marine debris, experts argue that the problem extends far beyond household wastes, especially when it comes to discarded and derelict boats. Underlining this concern, activists have called for the immediate action to remove these derelict vessels to prevent further ecological harm. They say that most of these vessels are deteriorating and at risk of sinking, yet no stringent measures have been implemented by authorities to remove or manage them. Thengapattanam harbour houses around 700 mechanised boats and 3,000 country boats. Most of these boats are being regularly berthed along the Thamirabarani river, where the harbour extends inland. Fishermen also prefer to dock their boats in the river, as they are less prone to damages due to ocean currents and strong winds. However, numerous boats docked here are abandoned, raising serious environmental concerns. Sagar from Erayumanthurai highlighted that the issue has been persisting for years and no actions have been taken so far. He added that the numbers of derelict vessels in the region are expected to increase in the future due to lack of clear policies or enforcement. 'I submitted a petition at the fishermen's grievance redressal meeting a few months ago, but no departments have come forward to take any action,' he mentioned. Similarly, in Thoothukudi a mechanised boat in an old harbour and several country boats near the fishing harbour abandoned continue to pose environmental risks. According to the article published by Central Marine Fisheries research Institute (CMFRI), Kochi in 2017 discussed the plastic reinforced fiberglass which is an addition to beach litter. Fibre glass crafts are coated with glass fibres reinforced with plastic matrix most often Epoxy Polyester Resin or Vinyl Ester through thermosetting. The article noted that the plastic reinforced fiberglass is considered human carcinogen if inhaled. If not properly disposed of, these materials can reach levels above 5-15 megagram per cubic metre and become hazardous causing irritation to eyes, skin, nose etc,. It warns that from the beach these tiny particles from the glass fibre coated with plastic resin can also enter marine food webs which is undesirable. Justin Antony, president of INFIDET, highlighted another major problem, which is the oil spill created by these boats. 'Most of the boats would be docked with fuel in them. As they stated, immersing into the water might cause oil spill in the region,' he noted. He also mentioned that these abandoned boats are becoming a shelter for anti-social elements, which is to be curbed immediately. Regarding the salvaging operations, an official from the Kanniyakumari fisheries department said that the directions have already been made for the fishermen. With the current fishing ban period in effect, harbour management committee are reviewing possible actions, as the salvaging operation would require a significant financial commitment.
New Indian Express
5 days ago
- General
- New Indian Express
Call for long-term monitoring system to tackle marine disasters
KOCHI: Two maritime disasters -- a shipwreck and a fire on board a vessel carrying dangerous goods -- within a span of three weeks have caused concern about maritime security and damage to marine ecosystem on Kerala coast. Apart from oil spill, release of toxic chemicals, pesticide contamination and chemical fire releasing toxic plumes have triggered a debate on the possible environmental, fisheries and navigational hazards caused by the incidents. Scientists and maritime experts have demanded a mechanism to monitor the growing vessel traffic on Kerala coastline following the opening of Vizhinjam port and to ensure ships carrying dangerous goods do not pass close to the shoreline. 'The Indian Coast Guard is well equipped to tackle pollution caused by ships as they have been leading such operations in South Asia for years. They have got all facilities and equipment to remove the oil spill,' said K Sunil Muhammed, former principal scientist of the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI). 'But we need to have a long-term monitoring system to tackle maritime accidents in Kerala's coastal sea. Kerala has many marine research institutes with lab facilities. We should establish a network to collect water samples and conduct periodic analysis to monitor marine pollution. We should conduct periodic sampling for the next two years to study the impact of chemical pollution. This is essential to raise evidence based claims for pollution. With the inauguration of Vizhinjam port, the vessel traffic on Kerala coast is expected to rise and we should have a state-level maritime disaster management authority, including experts to respond to such accidents in future,' he said. Containers carrying hazardous cargo, including flammable liquids, industrial chemicals and pesticides, have fallen into the sea off Beypore coast following the fire on board MV Wan Hai 503 on June 9. The vessel also had around 2,000 tonnes of fuel and 240 tonnes of diesel in its bunkers. 'The discharge of marine diesel from sunken ship MSC Elsa 3 can form surface slicks blocking sunlight penetration. This will suppress photosynthesis on phytoplankton, destabilising the marine food web. Oil exposure can impair fish respiration and smother benthic organisms. Hazardous chemicals like hydrobromic acid, paraformaldehyde and methyl methacrylate can alter seawater chemistry. Potassium nitrate can trigger harmful algal blooms depleting oxygen and creating dead zones.
United News of India
11-06-2025
- General
- United News of India
Tonnes of plastic pellets on beaches, tourism affected
Kochi, June 11 (UNI) Stakeholders of tourism industry and fishermen communities have expressed deep concern over tonnes of plastic pellets accumulating on the beaches of Kerala after Liberian cargo vessel MSC ELSA-3 sank off Alappuzha coast. Plastic pellets, known as nurdles, from the containers of the Liberian cargo vessel have started accumulating on the beaches of several tourism destinations including Kovalam, Varkala, Ernakulam, Alappuzha. They alleged that the State Government failed to address this serious environmental issue causing inconvenient for fishermen and tourists coming during monsoon season. Seeing the back-to-back ship accidents posing threat to marine life in Kerala, the CMFRI decided to conduct a study on environmental impact due to shipwreck, which осcurred 38 nautical miles off the Kerala coast. UNI DS GNK
Time of India
11-06-2025
- Health
- Time of India
Toxic cargo poses threat to marine life
1 2 3 Kozhikode: The marine life and ecology in the Arabian Sea off the Kerala coast face serious threat if the hazardous chemicals aboard the Singapore-flagged vessel MV Wan Hai 503, which is on fire, were to leak into the sea, especially during the ongoing fish breeding season. The vessel is now 44 nautical miles off Azhikkal coast. The ship is carrying tonnes of highly dangerous substances, including 16 officially classified marine pollutants and dozens of other toxic chemicals. Some of them are known carcinogens which can have long-term impact on marine ecology as well as human health. The Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI ) has started collecting seawater samples to check for chemical presence. The chemicals which have chronic marine toxicity in the cargo manifest include trichlorobenzene which affects aquatic life, hydroquinone which also has mutagenic potential and tetrachloroethylene which is a probable carcinogen among many others. CMFRI Kozhikode regional station head Anulekshmi Chellappan said the hazardous and toxic chemicals, as per the list shared, if leaked to the sea, may negatively affect the marine life, especially since it is the fish breeding season. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Top 5 Dividend Stocks for May 2025 Seeking Alpha Read Now Undo However, the extent of the impact can only be determined after a detailed scientific study and understanding of the spilled items and their magnitude. "We've already started collecting and testing water samples and sediments from coastal waters of Kannur, Kozhikode and Malappuram districts. Fish samples are also being taken from traditional vessels. Based on prevailing southern and southeastern currents and advisories from Incois, the effects are likely to be felt most significantly in the districts from Kozhikode to Kochi," she said. She said of the 157 listed substances aboard the vessel, at least 43 are classified as marine pollutants. "Pollutants from ship could still harm marine ecosystems," she said. "We have initiated a study and monitoring to estimate how much of the ship spills, hazardous substances listed in the cargo manifest would impact marine organisms," she said. Anulekshmi added that the small-scale fisheries are operating close to shore far away from accident area and this is a ban period for mechanised fishing operated mostly in offshore waters. Kufos aquatic environment department head Anu Gopinath said the incident involving MV Wan Hai would pose a more serious threat to marine life and ecology when compared to the recent sinking of MSC ELSA 3 off Kochi coast. "What is of concern is the huge quantity of hazardous substances in the cargo. There are category 6 pesticides and many other toxic substances. If they reach the sea, then the damage could be huge. It might not manifest in the next few days or weeks, and we have to look at the effect of the chemicals on the Kerala coast and marine environment in the long term. We need to do comprehensive long-term monitoring to see the extent of the spread and see if the marine life is having a concentration of the chemicals," she said. Gopinath added that apart from fish which has some ability to evade adverse conditions like these, other sedentary marine life forms and microorganisms would also be most affected.
The Hindu
06-06-2025
- Science
- The Hindu
Corrections and Clarifications — June 7, 2025
In the reports, 'CMFRI to study eco impact of sunken Liberia-flagged vessel' (Online edition, June 4, 2025) and 'Expedition to study ecological impact of Kochi shipwreck' (early print editions, June 5, 2025), the references to the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI) in the heading and the text were incorrect. They should have been the Centre for Marine Living Resources and Ecology (CMLRE).
