India demands IMO probe into foreign cargo ship incidents

NEW DELHI: India strongly demanded that the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) undertake a comprehensive investigation and global review of all maritime incidents involving foreign-flagged container vessels operating in Indian waters. It said these incidents, caused by undeclared hazardous cargoes, and structural and stability issues, have raised serious safety concerns.

Participating in the 134th session of the Council of the IMO, port and shipping secretary T K Ramachandran underscored the need to reinforce international protocols related to packaging, declaration, stowage, and monitoring of lithium-ion batteries and International Maritime Dangerous Goods (IMDGs).

In a statement, the port and shipping ministry said, "India delivered a principled statement addressing recent maritime incidents involving foreign-flagged container vessels operating in Indian waters."

Citing the proactive role of Indian Navy and Indian Coast Guard in ensuring the safety of life at sea, the statement said India called for urgent enhancements in the safety framework for container shipping. India also proposed the establishment of IMO-led investigations into such incidents to help build global best practices, improve standardisation, and strengthen operational norms that ensure the safety and security of container ship operations across the world.

There have been serious maritime incidents along India's coastline that exposed vulnerabilities in the current emergency response framework. The sinking of the container ship MSC ELSA 3 in May 2025 and the major fire and explosion on the container ship WAN HAI 503 in June 2025, off the coast of Kerala, led to the loss of several containers in the waters and the release of hazardous cargo and significant environmental risk.