Kochi: The Congress on Monday accused the CPM-led LDF government of not investigating the repeated incidents of ship accidents off Kerala’s coast with due seriousness. Alleging a mystery behind such incidents causing serious consequences, Congress announced a protest against government apathy on Wednesday. The announcement comes after MV Wan Hai 503, a Singapore-flagged ship, caught fire off the Kerala coast, days after Liberian cargo ship MSC Elsa-3 sank off the state’s coast.

Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president Sunny Joseph said that the party's mandala committees will stage protest marches in the coastal districts.

The Congress leader said the state government’s decision not to file a criminal case against MSC Elsa 3, which sank off the Kerala coast on May 25, betrayed the coastal people and fisherfolk. He said the state government has shown criminal negligence on the issue since the beginning, despite cargoes containing hazardous chemicals sinking.

“The government has ignored the natural procedure of filing a case against the responsible ship companies in such incidents. The decision not to file a case was taken at a meeting attended by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, Shyam Jagannathan, Director General of Shipping, and Chief Secretary A Jayathilak. It’s a grave fault and betrayal. We doubt there is a combined attempt by the central and state governments to save the ship company, which is close to Gautam Adani (whose Adani Ports manages the Vizhinjam port),” Sunny Joseph said in a statement.

The KPCC president added that the government's stance — to recover compensation through the insurance company instead of holding the firm accountable — is inadequate. The administration lacks assurance that the insurance payout would sufficiently remedy the looming environmental crisis along Kerala’s coast.

“It’s shameful that the Pinarayi government’s commitment is not to the poor fisherfolk but to monopolies,” he said.

Sunny cited the Kerala High Court order mandating the state government to release all information related to the MSC Elsa-3 shipwreck, including details about the hazardous cargo and any oil spills. The order was issued after a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by Congress leader T N Prathapan.