ELSA 3 ship sank in the SE Arabian Sea off the Kerala Coast, carrying tonnes of furnace oil and low-sulphur diesel.
- Despite winds and ocean currents, oil remained concentrated suggesting continued leakage from unsealed compartments causing marine oil spill disaster.
Key Findings of Study
- Chemical Contamination and Persistence of Pollutants: Wreck served as a local source of heavy metals such as nickel, lead, copper, and vanadium, detected in water and sediments.
- Apart from this Oil Slick, Polyaromatic hydrocarbons or PAH (naphthalene, fluorene, anthracene, etc.) and other petroleum-derived pollutants were detected.
- Biological Impacts across marine food chain:
- Bioaccumulation: Zooplankton, which form the base of the marine food chain, were found to contain high levels of petroleum-derived pollutants.
- Bioaccumulation is accumulation over time of a contaminant (such as a pesticide or heavy metal) in a living organism.
- Fish eggs & larvae: Showed signs of decay/mortality posing threat to fisheries in the Arabian Sea.
- Benthic organisms: Sensitive species declined and pollution-tolerant worms and bivalves survived a clear sign of acute ecological stress and habitat degradation.
- Benthic organisms are animals living on or attached to the seafloor.
- Bioaccumulation: Zooplankton, which form the base of the marine food chain, were found to contain high levels of petroleum-derived pollutants.
Initiatives undertaken to tackle Marine Pollution from Ships
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