A report by a team from the Centre for Marine Living Resources and Ecology (CMLRE), under the Union Ministry of Earth Sciences, has confirmed the worst fears of many: The MSC Elsa 3 wreck has triggered significant ecological disruption in the southeastern Arabian Sea.
According to the findings, the sinking of the ship off the Kerala coast on May 25, 2025, has already impaired water quality, marine plankton, benthic organisms, fish eggs, larvae, and even higher marine fauna. Oil slicks, still visible weeks after the incident despite strong currents, reveal the risk of continued leakage.
The study warned of the urgent need to seal the wreck’s fuel compartments and to initiate long-term monitoring if Kerala’s fisheries and marine ecosystems are to be safeguarded.
The conclusions were drawn from a detailed research cruise conducted between June 2 and June 12 on board the FORV Sagar Sampada. The scientists sampled 23 locations stretching from Kochi to Kanyakumari, zeroing in on the area around the sunken vessel.
Their analysis revealed alarming spikes of polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), including naphthalene, fluorene, anthracene, phenanthrene, fluoranthene, and pyrene. Elevated naphthalene levels — widely seen as a fingerprint of human-induced oil contamination — confirmed that the source was the leaking fuel tanks of the MSC Elsa 3. The team also found high concentrations of trace metals such as nickel, lead, copper, and vanadium in both water and sediments, elements typically tied to petroleum. The wreck, the report concluded, has effectively become a local source of hydrocarbon and heavy-metal pollution.
The biological impact is equally grim. Fish eggs and larvae collected from the affected waters showed clear signs of decay, suggesting mortality during their most vulnerable life stage. On the seabed, benthic communities were visibly stressed. Sensitive species vanished within days, leaving behind only hardy, pollution-tolerant worms and bivalves. This shift, the researchers cautioned, points to acute disturbance of the seafloor and long-term consequences for sediment health and fisheries habitats.
Even higher marine life has not been spared. Scientists documented a Brown Noddy seabird (Anous stolidus) clinging to the wreck, obsessively preening its feathers — a textbook sign of oil contamination. Such observations underscore the vulnerability of birds and other marine organisms exposed to the spill.
The CMLRE report is the first authoritative confirmation that the MSC Elsa 3 wreck is leaking toxic substances into the Arabian Sea, setting off a cascade of disturbances with potentially lasting consequences for Kerala’s coast and its fishing communities. But the science, grim as it is, only tells part of the story.
The MSC Elsa 3 went down on May 25, battered by a sudden burst of monsoon turbulence. Carrying thousands of tonnes of cargo and its full load of fuel, the vessel slipped beneath the waves in one of the most densely fished stretches of India’s coastline. For hours, locals watched helplessly from the shore as the massive ship listed, shuddered, and finally disappeared.
Almost immediately, fishers began to notice changes in the sea. Nets came up slick with oil, and catches dropped sharply. “Our nets returned heavy with dead sardines,” said Joseph Manuel, a fisherman from Poonthura. “The sea smelled of diesel. We knew something was wrong, but nobody believed us until the scientists came.”
The disaster struck at the worst possible time. The southwest monsoon had just set in, traditionally the most productive fishing season for Kerala’s coast. The wreck and its oily footprint dealt a blow to livelihoods already strained by debt, rising fuel costs, and dwindling fish stocks.
Environmentalists had warned of this very scenario. Within days of the sinking, Greenpeace India released a white paper calling the wreck a “ticking ecological time bomb.” They pointed to Kerala’s vulnerability — a state where fisheries contribute nearly 15 per cent of India’s marine landings — and urged immediate sealing of the ship’s fuel tanks. “Every tide that washes over that wreck is carrying poisons into the food chain,” Greenpeace campaigner Radhika Menon warned.
Yet, official response was slow and fragmented. Initially, the incident was treated as a maritime accident rather than an environmental emergency. It took weeks, and growing pressure from fishers and civil society groups, before scientific teams were deployed. By then, much damage had already been done.
The Arabian Sea is already one of the most stressed oceanic zones on Earth. Rising sea-surface temperatures, deoxygenation, and industrial fishing have left its ecosystems fragile. Scientists now fear that a chronic source of petroleum and heavy metals — like the MSC Elsa 3 — could tip the balance further.
Marine biologist Mini Joseph warned: “This is not a one-time spill. It is a chronic leak. If the wreck is not sealed or salvaged, we may be staring at generational damage.”
Accountability, however, remains elusive. International maritime law allows governments to seek damages from shipowners, but global shipping operates in a web of flags, insurers, and shell companies designed to deflect liability. The MSC Elsa 3 was flagged in Panama, operated out of Europe, and insured elsewhere — making it difficult to pin down who must pay for the clean-up.
“The victims here are poor fishers who cannot wage long battles in foreign courts,” said advocate M Muhammed Abubacker of People’s Union for Civil Liberties. “Unless the state steps in and presses claims internationally, justice will remain a distant dream.”