Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala government has set up a Core Group at the state level, along with state, district, and local oil spill management groups, to respond to shipwreck incidents across the state. This is based on a directive from the Ministry of Defence (Indian Coast Guard), which is the nodal agency for managing crises arising from oil and hazardous substance spills at sea.

This decision follows the recent maritime disasters off the Kerala coast, notably the sinking of the Liberian-flagged container vessel MSC Elsa 3 in May 2025, near Kochi, which carried substantial quantities of diesel and furnace oil along with hazardous cargo like calcium carbide. A subsequent incident involving the MV Wan Hai 503 also highlighted the need for a multi-level crisis management structure to prevent ecological damage and safeguard coastal livelihoods from shipwrecks and resulting oil spills. 

The State Oil Spill Crisis Management Group (SOS-CMG) will be chaired by the Chief Secretary and include senior officials from police, health, environment, fisheries, fire and rescue, and other relevant departments. District-level groups (DOS-CMG) will be led by District Collectors, while local groups (LOS-CMG) will be headed by Revenue Divisional Officers in coastal areas, with participation from local authorities, police, medical officers, and representatives from oil companies and social organisations.

All groups will function according to the National Oil Spill Disaster Contingency Plan (NOS-DCP) 2015, ensuring a coordinated response to oil spill incidents across the state.