Nurdle pollution hits coast after sunken cargo ship reaches Tamil Nadu

A plastic nurdle spill from the sunken cargo ship MSC ELSA 3 has reached Tamil Nadu’s Ramanathapuram coast, raising serious environmental concerns. The spill has spread into the Dhanushkodi Greater Flamingo Sanctuary, a newly declared protected area within the ecologically sensitive Gulf of Mannar Biosphere Reserve. Experts warn the spill threatens marine life, bird habitats, and the livelihoods of local fishing communities.

The MSC ELSA 3, a Liberian-flagged vessel, sank off the Kochi coast carrying 640 containers, including hazardous cargo such as furnace oil, calcium carbide, and diesel. Around 80 bags of nurdles—small plastic pellets resembling fish eggs—have washed ashore along a 12-km stretch near landmarks like the Dhanushkodi church and Patchappatti village. These pellets, when ingested by marine creatures, can cause internal injuries, starvation, and even death.

Ramanathapuram officials have deployed cleanup teams and are monitoring further debris, but environmentalists warn that the nurdles could spread into the adjacent Gulf of Mannar Marine National Park. This park is home to coral reefs, seagrass beds, and endangered marine species. The buoyant pellets, once broken down by waves into microplastics, pose a long-term ecological hazard.

With the annual fishing ban about to end, local fishermen are concerned about decreased catches and market fears. Environmentalists are urging full disclosure of the ship’s cargo and stronger long-term containment measures to prevent a repeat of disasters like Sri Lanka’s X-Press Pearl spill in 2021.