Kerala High Court allows two crew members of capsized MSC Elsa 3 to return home
The Kerala High Court has granted permission for two crew members of the capsized vessel MSC Elsa 3 to return to their home countries. The crew had been detained in Kochi for over a year following the ship's sinking, which caused significant environmental pollution.
Why it matters
This case balances the legal requirements of an ongoing environmental investigation with the human rights of the detained maritime crew.
The Kerala High Court has allowed the Chief Officer and the Second Engineer of MSC Elsa 3 , a Liberia-flagged vessel, to return to their home countries. The ship sank off the coast of Alappuzha in May 2025, causing extensive marine and coastal pollution across the shores of Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
Justice Bechu Kurian Thomas was considering a plea by the ship’s crew members who had been detained in Kochi for more than a year after the ship capsize. They had sought permission to travel back to their home countries and the return of their passports.
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