Seven Crewmembers from MSC Elsa 3 Casualty Seek Release from India
A year after the MSC Elsa 3 containership rolled onto its side and sank off the Indian coast, seven officers and crewmembers from the vessel remain detained in India. They are asking the High Court in Kerala for the return of their passports and permission on humanitarian grounds to return to their home countries.
The MSC Elsa 3 had listed onto its side on May 24, 2025, and later sank around 14.6 nautical miles off the Kerala coast. The Indian Coast Guard organized a rescue mission and brought all 24 crewmembers safely into the port. However, the crew says that the Mercantile Marine Department in Kochi issued a notice directing that no crewmember should leave Kochi without written permission.
The police later filed papers for charges against the vessel and its owner/operator, while the local government and the Indian authorities have filed court claims for more than $1 billion in compensation. In addition, the cargo owners filed admiralty claims, while the local fishing community and others have also filed claims in the court against MSC.
The crew told the court that the police had seized their passports. Yet they highlight that only the master of the ship was named in the police indictment. They assert that they have cooperated with the investigation and should now be released to return to their homes. They note that the Director General of Shipping allowed 15 crewmembers to depart India in August 2025.
The remaining crewmembers, including the master, chief officer, chief engineer, and second engineer, filed papers with the High Court asking for the return of their passports and contending they are being illegally detained. The crewmembers are from Russia, Ukraine, Georgia, and the Philippines.
The court held an initial hearing on the petition, and it asked for responses from the Indian government and the local government in Kerala. A follow-up hearing has been scheduled for next Friday, May 29.
Media reports are also highlighting that a year after the casualty, the shoreline continues to be polluted by the cargo. The vessel was carrying 643 containers, some transporting calcium carbide and plastic nurdles. Days after the ship sank, some of the containers began to wash ashore or break open. Around 630 metric tons of debris were recovered during a shore cleanup while a diving program sought to drain the oil from the hulk.
An environmental group is now saying that despite the government ending the cleanup, it is still finding nurdles on the beaches. It reports finding a “persistent presence of the pellets on beaches” while warning that the pellets will be a persistent threat. They theorize that strong waves and weather conditions could also be stirring up debris that remained at sea and driving it to shore.
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