The state government has declared the wreckage of the ship MSC Elsa 3, which sank off the Kochi coast, a state-specific disaster. The Disaster Management department issued the order considering the potentially serious environmental, social, and economic impact of the ship wreckage.

The ship carrying 640 containers, capsized on May 25, approximately 15 nautical miles southwest of Alappuzha. The maritime incident has raised serious environmental concerns, including the potential for oil spill and drifting of debris, including cargo, along Kerala’s coastline, an order issued by Tinku Biswal, Principal Secretary, Disaster Management department pointed out.

The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) launched a full-scale pollution response operation following the sinking of the Liberian container vessel. ICG surveillance aircraft detected an oil slick at the site within hours of the vessel's submergence. ICG Ship Saksham was deployed immediately, and an ICG Dornier aircraft conducted aerial assessments and dispersed Oil Spill Dispersant (OSD) across the affected zone.

The Mercantile Marine Department, Kochi, has issued a pollution liability warning to the vessel owners under the Merchant Shipping Act, 1958. The shipping company has appointed T&T Salvage to recover containers, remove oil, and clean up the environment.

The ICG has also advised the Kerala state administration to prepare for shoreline clean-up and to alert local communities not to handle any cargo or debris that may wash ashore. In the past four days, containers and sacks containing nurdles have washed ashore along the Kerala coast in Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam and Alappuzha.