Indian state files lawsuit against Swiss-based company for oil spill – Reuters

Kerala has taken MSC to court for damages as a result of a tanker capsizing in the Arabian Sea in May

The Indian state of Kerala has filed a lawsuit against Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC), seeking $1.1 billion in damages, after one of the Switzerland-based company’s container vessels sank and leaked fuel into the Arabian Sea in May, Reuters reported on Tuesday.

The Kerala High Court has ordered the arrest, seizure, and detention of another MSC vessel docked at Vizhinjam Port in the state, until it provides security to cover the claimed amount of $1.1 billion, according to the report. 

In May, MSC ELSA 3, a Liberian-flagged vessel carrying diesel, furnace oil, and containers with hazardous cargo, capsized off Kerala due to a load imbalance.

The ship was carrying 84.44 metric tons of diesel, 367.1 metric tons of furnace oil, and 640 containers, including 13 containing hazardous cargo and 12 with calcium carbide. 

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The Kerala government stated in its court filing that the incident caused significant harm to the state’s marine ecosystem, resulting in massive pollution, oil slicks, and floating cargo that has severely impacted the environment, coastal fisheries, and public health, Reuters said in its report.

In June, Greenpeace South Asia official Avinash Chanchal told The Hindu newspaper that satellite images showed that the oil slick from the ship measured about 5.7 miles-long (9.2 kilometers) in the sea with a visible silver-metallic reflection on June 1, and by June 9, the slick still had a length of about 1.4 miles. 

Following the incident in May, the Kerala state government advised local fishermen to stay out of the sea and provided financial and food assistance to approximately 105,518 families dependent on the fishing industry. Besides the oil in the fallen containers, marine fuel used in the ship also leaked as a result of the accident, the Kerala chief minister’s office said in a statement in May.