Plastic nurdles from capsized ship spark environmental concerns; coastal clean-up underway in Kerala, Tamil Nadu

A ship from Vishwakarma Marine Pvt Ltd, a leading marine emergency response company in India specialising in salvage and oil spill response, will arrive today to remove oil and other materials from the capsized Liberian-flagged container vessel MSC Elisa 3. The vessel sank approximately 38km southwest of the Kochi coast last week.

 

Kerala Revenue Minister K. Rajan announced that an agreement with Vishwakarma Marine was signed yesterday, and a team of experts aboard the search and recovery vessel will soon reach the site.

 

“Strict investigations and follow-up measures had already been undertaken to examine the issues related to the containers that fell into the sea. As a result, we are now witnessing the aftermath — around 54 containers have washed ashore along various parts of the Kerala coast,” the minister said.

 

According to official data, two containers washed ashore in Alappuzha, nine in Thiruvananthapuram, and 43 in Kollam.

 

Though maximum number of containers were washed up on the Kollam coast, experts believe the debris—especially from broken containers—is more likely to drift further south of Thiruvananthapuram. Notably, plastic nurdles from MSC Elisa 3 have also washed ashore in Tamil Nadu’s Kanyakumari district.

 

The accumulation of polyethylene nurdles—small plastic pellets used in manufacturing—poses serious environmental threat. Marine animals often mistake them for food, which can disrupt digestion and, in some cases, lead to death. There are also growing concerns about nurdles entering the human food chain. Environmentalists have warned that if the nurdles reach the Gulf of Mannar, coral reefs may be damaged.

 

At least 43 bags of tiny plastic nurdles have been washed ashore the Kanyakumari coast, sparking environmental concerns. The plastic nurdles have been found on the coast along the fishing hamlets in Enayampuththanthurai, Vallavilai and Eravipuththanthurai near Kanyakumari. The nurdles – in 25kg bags – began washing ashore on Wednesday morning, according to the authorities in the Tamil Nadu environment department.

 

"The plastic pellets washed ashore in Enayampuththanthurai, Vallavilai and Eravipuththanthurai fishing hamlets have been collected carefully and stored in bags. We are following the protocol shared by the Kerala government on handling these materials. We are also in touch with the shipping company, which has promised to send a team of experts from Gujarat for cleaning our coast. They are expected to arrive on Thursday,” Kanyakumari District Collector R. Alagumeena, who visited the spot, told THE WEEK.

 

Kerala Minister Rajan emphasised that significant efforts were made over the past few days to prevent Very Low Sulfur Fuel Oil (VLSFO), a marine fuel, from reaching the coast. Preventive measures included placing sacks of sawdust along the shoreline and constructing earthen barriers in estuaries and backwaters.

 

Before salvage operations begin, a sonar survey will be conducted around the sunken vessel’s location to assess underwater conditions. Authorities expect these processes to proceed swiftly.

 

In Kerala too, a large-scale cleanup drive is underway to remove nurdles from the coast. Since these pellets can be washed back into the sea, the goal is to recover as many as possible.

 

A standard operating procedure (SOP) has been prepared by Kerala for the clean-up, with volunteers playing a critical role. A drone survey will be conducted along the entire coastline where nurdles have been found. A designated supervisor will manage every 100-metre stretch to coordinate volunteers drawn from Aapda Mitra, Civil Defence, former Student Police Cadets, and Samoohika Sannadha Sena.

 

Volunteers have been instructed to use plastic scoops, shovels, and sieves to collect the nurdles and store them in plastic bags. These will be sent to a Hazardous Materials Treatment Facility in Ernakulam. Additionally, one sample from each 100-metre segment will be sent to a Pollution Control Board storage facility for further analysis.

India