MSC Elsa 3 shipwreck: Kerala High Court seeks report on alleged delay in probe

The Kerala High Court on Monday directed its Registry to obtain instructions from the Judicial First Class Magistrate Court, Thopumpady, regarding the alleged delay in initiating a probe into the sinking of the ship MSC Elsa 3 that sank off the Alappuzha coast in May 2025.

This was after the High Court was informed by the Kerala government that an application seeking a probe into the sinking of the Liberia-registered vessel had been filed before it on September 2025. The court also sought details of the proceedings since then.

The development comes a fortnight after the vessel’s crew members approached the High Court seeking permission to return to their home countries. Subsequently, the court had on June 2 orally observed that their liberty could not be affected due to the non-completion of the inquiry into the incident.

The captain and other crew members had submitted that their detention was illegal, and that the authorities concerned insisted on their presence in the State for investigation, even after mails were sent seeking permission to return to their home countries. Moreover, their passports had been seized by the authorities.

The court had said that their liberty could not be affected merely because they are foreign nationals and that there were guidelines pertaining to fair treatment of seafarers in cases of maritime accidents.