Indian Coast Guard Saves Crew of Liberian Cargo Ship Listing Off Kochi

Liberia-flagged container vessel, MSC ELSA 3 (Photo Credit/ X of ICG)

Liberia-flagged container vessel capsizes: The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) in a major rescue operation saved the lives of all 24 crew onboard a Liberia-flagged container vessel, MSC ELSA 3, which developed a severe 26-degree tilt approximately 38 nautical miles southwest of Kochi on Saturday.

The incident occurred after the vessel departed from Vizhinjam Port on May 23, en route to Kochi, when the vessel's operator, MSC Ship Management, alerted Indian authorities to the situation and requested urgent assistance.

The rescue operation was completed on Sunday morning at around 08.30 am, the Indian Coast Guard informed in a thread of posts on the social media platform X.

"Update as of 0830 hrs on 25 May 25:- In the early hours of 25 May 25, the vessel capsized rapidly, reportedly due to flooding in one of the holds. 03 crew remaining onboard abandoned ship and were rescued by INS Sujata, which joined operations last evening. All crew remain safe, and ICG is conducting an assessment of the situation and issuing an advisory to state authorities accordingly. Further updates follow," the post read.

Update as of 0830 hrs on 25 May 25:-

In the early hours of 25 May 25, the vessel capsized rapidly reportedly due to flooding in one of the holds. 03 crew remaining onboard abandoned ship and were rescued by INS Sujata, which joined operations last evening.

All crew remain safe…

— Indian Coast Guard (@IndiaCoastGuard) May 25, 2025

The ICG aircraft were deployed with additional liferafts near the listing vessel for the rescue operations. Meanwhile, the DG Shipping, in coordination with ICG, issued urgent directives to the ship’s managers to initiate salvage operations to stabilize the vessel and avert further risks.

@IndiaCoastGuard #MRCC, #Mumbai received a Distress Alert regarding Liberia-flagged container vessel MSC ELSA 3 developing 26° list approx 38 nautical miles southwest of #Kochi. Vessel departed #Vizhinjam Port on 23 May 25, bound for #Kochi with ETA 24 May 25. #ICG is actively… pic.twitter.com/U7SzOBsE9h

— Indian Coast Guard (@IndiaCoastGuard) May 24, 2025

Further updates on distressed Liberia-flagged container vessel MSC ELSA 3:
21 crew members rescued, 03 crew members (Captain, Chief Engineer & 2nd Engineer) remain onboard to assist planned salvage operation. @IndiaCoastGuard ships & aircraft continue monitoring the situation.…

— Indian Coast Guard (@IndiaCoastGuard) May 24, 2025

The Indian Coast Guard also posted a close-up video of the distressed Liberia-flagged container vessel MSC ELSA 3.

pic.twitter.com/Fk0tHsGehn

— Indian Coast Guard (@IndiaCoastGuard) May 24, 2025

The developing situation on Saturday was being monitored closely by the ICG to prevent loss of life and damage to the environment, said a press note.

Here are some of the visuals from the rescue operation by the Indian Coast Guard:

Indian coast guard rescues foreign nationals stuck onboard a liberia-flagged container ship that tilted in Arabian Sea. https://t.co/y0RMLUCNUY pic.twitter.com/m2seSmGFRZ

— Sidhant Sibal (@sidhant) May 25, 2025

More pictures from the Indian rescue operations: pic.twitter.com/RlxErmUQWA

— Sidhant Sibal (@sidhant) May 25, 2025