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.