The Swiss-Italien maritime company MSC plays both sides.
The third largest cruise company worldwide, MSC just commissioned two World Class mega-cruise ships from the Chantiers de l’Atlantique shipyard in Saint-Nazaire with great fanfare: 3.5 billion euros for “Choose France” and mass tourism (see press release of May 31, 2017).
MSC World Europa of the World Class series
With the largest fleet of container ships in the world, MSC operates hundreds of battered and dented ships, which should have been scrapped years ago. The MSC Elsa 3 (ex-Alexandra N, ex-Adrian, ex-TMM Hidalgo, ex-Delmas Tourville, ex-Ivory Star, ex-TMM Manzanillo, ex-CSAV Barcelona, ex-Santa Paula, ex-Jan Ritscher) just sank in the Indian Ocean offshore from Kerala, India. The ship was constructed in 1997, and she flew the Liberian flag.
On June 3, 2013, when she sailed under the name Adrian, two Filipino sailors were electrocuted in an engine room. Their bodies were not retrieved until the following day. In August 2016, the MSC Elsa 3 now operated by MSC, collided with the bulk carrier Katina anchored in a holding zone in the Red Sea offshore of Hodeidah, Yemen. The ship’s fo’c’sle was damaged, but the Elsa 3 resumed her course the next day.
The last 4 inspections of the MSC Elsa 3 all showed deficiencies:
– 11/19/2024 in Mangalore, India, 5 deficiencies concerning the lifeboats, the propulsion, and navigational safety
– 7/20/2023 in Tuticorin, India, 9 deficiencies concerning the lifeboats, the auxiliary motors, navigational safety (radar and autopilot systems), and electricity safety in work spaces
– 10 /28/2022 in Singapore, 14 deficiencies concerning most notably the lifeboats, fire safety, living conditions of the crew, and prevention of pollution
– 10/20/2022 in Chittagong, Bangladesh, one deficiency concerning the prevention of accidents caused by lifting equipment
The MSC Elsa 3 was an excellent candidate for sinking. Fortunately, the entire crew, composed of Filipinos, Georgians, Russians, Ukrainians, was evacuated safely thanks to the Indian coastguard.
Crewmembers of the MSC Elsa 3 onboard an Indian coastguard boat © Indian Coast Guard
The MSC Elsa 3 sank with 640 containers, of which 13 contained goods declared dangerous. However, every container that sunk to the seafloor is now dangerous, even if it contains millions of plastic products that became underwater waste after sinking. In addition, the container ship sunk with hundreds of tons of hydrocarbons. Considering her date of construction, 1997, the hull and infrastructure of the Elsa 3 contain toxic paint, asbestos, and Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). It’s a new underwater polluted site. According to the initial drift estimates from Indian maritime experts, the currents carrying pollutants and waste threaten the coastal districts of Alappuzha, Ernakulam, Kollam, and Thrissur where roughly 60,000 fishermen work. Sperm whales, sea turtles, sharks, fish, sea cucumbers, and sea horses are also among the potential victims.
Another old container ship owned by MSC, the MSC Baltic III, ran aground more than 3 months ago in Newfoundland, Canada after total loss of propulsion. Fuel pumping and removal of shipping containers is ongoing (see paragraph on the MSC Baltic III in “Robin des Bois les trace en mer et à quai” [Robin des Bois tracks them at sea and at dock], only in French). The most recent news on May 15 confirmed that a black substance is trapped under the hull of the ship, which is undergoing deformation and dislocation. Tar balls begin to proliferate.
MSC bought 383 second-hand container ships between 2020 and 2024, increasing its coverage over the world’s oceans.
Imprimer cet article
