The MSC Elsa 3, a Liberian-flagged container ship, recently capsized off the coast of Kerala, India. This incident has produced the largest environmental disaster in the state’s history—larger than the Exxon Valdez spill. The vessel was estimated to be carrying 71,500 sacks of nurdles—small plastic pellets between 1-5 mm in size. When it sank, millions of these microplastics washed into the Arabian Sea causing the Kerala government to declare a statewide disaster.
Although not thought of as hazardous materials, nurdles are often transported as regular freight. Environmentalists and impacted communities are understandably alarmed by this classification. It is a serious threat to the region’s rich marine biodiversity. The current spill is reminiscent of the infamous X-Press Pearl catastrophe that occurred in 2021. That spill amounted to 1,680 tonnes of nurdles released into the ocean waters off the coast of Sri Lanka’s capital, Colombo.
It has caused local fishermen and residents to experience terrible threats to their way of life. Ajith Shanghumukham, a local fish worker, expressed the profound impact of the nurdle spill:
“The nurdles haven’t just polluted the sea – they’ve disrupted our entire way of life.”
The monsoon storm surge have made matters worse, causing millions of these plastic pellets to wash up on the state’s beaches. In addition, the state last month filed a $1.1 billion compensation claim against the ship’s owner, the Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC). In response, MSC has filed a counterclaim contesting jurisdiction and moving to limit its liability.
Environmental advocates warn of the permanent effects these spills can have. Joseph Vijayan noted that:
“When ingested by marine life, these pellets introduce a cocktail of toxins directly into the food web.”
These toxins are able to bioaccumulate in different animals, increasing in concentration as they move up the food chain, a process known as biomagnification. This build-up ultimately threatens human health for those who consume tainted fish.
The Kerala spill was especially horrifying, given its scope and draw on extremely rich local biodiversity. Amy Youngman remarked on the foreseeability of this disaster:
“Because of the biodiversity in the area, the Kerala spill is devastating. But coming four years after the X-Pearl Xpress, it was foreseeable.”
For one thing, experts say that human error is a major element causing spills like these. Requiring stricter handling and storage practices for nurdles would drastically reduce spills. Experts argue this strategy has the potential to prevent 95% of all spills. Cargo that spills overboard remains largely unaccounted for, as ships have no legal duty to report their load of nurdles, making enforcement efforts difficult.
At the same time, global plastic production is expected to triple—over 1 billion tonnes per year—by 2060. Experts have long raised alarm over how this increase will make the likelihood of these tragic spills higher. Today, it is estimated that at least 2 trillion nurdles enter the environment every year.
“These spills expose the transboundary nature of pellet pollution, affecting countries regardless of their role in plastic production.”
In Kerala, cleanup will take five years. In the interim it’s local communities that are picking up the pieces and dealing with the impact of this disaster. The ongoing crisis serves as a stark reminder of the urgent need for enforceable global standards across the plastic supply chain. Fidra stated:
Cleanup efforts in Kerala are estimated to take up to five years, leaving local communities struggling with the aftermath of this disaster. The ongoing crisis serves as a stark reminder of the urgent need for enforceable global standards across the plastic supply chain. Fidra stated:
“They reveal a chronic lack of enforceable global standards across the supply chain – from production to transport – coupled with inadequate transparency, reporting and accountability.”