On May 23, 2025, the MSC Elsa 3, a 28-year-old container ship, left Vizhinjam Port for Kochi, carrying 640 containers—13 of them packed with hazardous cargo, including calcium carbide, a chemical that can ignite with a spark. Less than 24 hours later, 38 nautical miles off Kerala’s coast, it sent out a distress call after developing a 26-degree list to starboard and flooding in a cargo hold. By dawn on May 25, the ship had sunk 50 meters below the Arabian Sea, taking with it over 450 tonnes of fuel and a trail of debris that’s now choking Kerala’s shores. All 24 crew were saved. But for the fishing communities of Alappuzha, Kollam, Ernakulam, and Thiruvananthapuram, the real disaster is just beginning.

Sunday, June 8 was World Oceans Day -- a sombre occasion for Kerala's coastline and its beleaguered fishing community. Prem and Arati tease apart the issues in this ongoing, unfolding story in a bid to understand what is at stake for Kerala's coast, the fishers, the port and shipping, and the biodiversity. See show notes below for links to specific chapters, and further reading.

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Arati Kumar-Rao on Instagram: / aratikumarr. .

Prem Panicker on X (Twitter): https://x.com/prempanicker and https://prempanicker.substack.com/

Our email: marginlands@gmail.com

Podcast Instagram: / fromthemarginlands

Sections:

5:06: What Kerala State Disaster Management Agency member secretary Stephen Kuriakose said

6.40: Interview with Sreekala S, chairperson, Kerala State Pollution Control Board
Kerala Pollution Control Board website: https://keralapcbonline.com/pcb/welcome

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Arati Kumar-Rao on Instagram
Prem Panicker on X (Twitter)
Prem on Substack
From The Marginlands on Instagram