All crew members rescued after Liberian ship capsizes off Kerala coast

Thiruvananthapuram, May 25 (IANS) In a swift rescue operation, INS Sujata early on Sunday successfully rescued the remaining three crew members of a Liberian-flagged container ship that capsized in the Arabian Sea, approximately 38 nautical miles (about 70 km) off the coast of Kochi, Kerala, the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) said in a statement.

The ship, en route from Vizhinjam to Kochi, had been scheduled to arrive by Saturday evening. However, tragedy struck when the vessel began to take in water due to flooding in one of its holds.

The flooding caused the vessel to rapidly capsize in the early hours of May 25, prompting an emergency response.

"In the early hours of May 25, the vessel capsized rapidly reportedly due to flooding in one of the holds. Three crew remaining onboard the abandoned ship and were rescued by INS Sujata, which joined operations last evening," the ICG said.

According to the statement, all crew members are now safe. The ICG has launched an assessment of the incident and is issuing advisories to state authorities to manage any environmental impact or hazards.

The incident unfolded after the Kerala State Disaster Management Authority (KSDMA) issued a warning on Saturday, alerting about a potential spill of hazardous material into the sea.

The ICG confirmed the ship, which was carrying marine gas oil and very low sulphur fuel oil (VLSFO), had lost around 10 containers into the sea during the capsizing. These containers reportedly included oil substances critical for maritime operations.

VLSFO, a fuel with a maximum sulphur content of 0.5 per cent by mass, is essential for compliance with the International Maritime Organization's (IMO) 2020 emissions regulations, aimed at reducing sulphur pollution in international waters.

Earlier on Saturday, 21 out of the 24 crew members were rescued after the ship began listing. The three remaining onboard -- the Captain, Chief Engineer, and Second Engineer -- had initially stayed behind but were later forced to abandon the sinking vessel.

The ship was nearing its destination at the Cochin Port when the emergency occurred. The ICG and other relevant agencies are closely monitoring the situation and taking steps to prevent any further environmental fallout from the spill.

Further updates on the investigation and clean-up operations are expected.

--IANS

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