Kerala Court Releases MSC Vessel After Rs 12.28bn Guarantee

12 Jan 2026 CW Team

The owner of container ship MSC Elsa 3, which sank off the Kerala coast in May 2025, has deposited a compensation amount of Rs 12.28 billion with the Kerala High Court in the form of a bank guarantee. Following the deposit, the court permitted the release of its sister vessel, MSC Akiteta-2.

The sister vessel, which had been detained off Vizhinjam under a court order dated November 11, has since sailed from the port. A Bench headed by Justice M. A. Abdul Hakhim posted the matter relating to compensation for further hearing on February 13.

In September, the High Court had reduced the security amount payable by the ship’s owners from Rs 95.31 billion to Rs 12.28 billion, modifying its earlier order of July 7. The original order had been passed in an admiralty suit filed by the Kerala government, pursuant to which MSC Akiteta-2 was detained at Vizhinjam.

The state government had sought compensation of Rs 95.31 billion, primarily citing marine and coastal pollution and losses suffered by fishing communities following the sinking of the vessel. Acting on the claim, the court had ordered the conditional arrest of the sister ship until the security amount was furnished.

In its earlier observations, the court held that the discharge of oil from the vessel into the sea had been established and that such discharge posed a serious risk of environmental pollution.

Infrastructure Transport

01 Jun 2026

MMRDA advances 250 m on Orange Gate–Marine Drive tunnel

The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) has completed 250 m of underground tunnelling for the Orange Gate–Marine Drive Urban Road Tunnel using India’s largest slurry shield tunnel boring machine (TBM) deployed for an urban road project.The project involves twin tunnels extending over 7 km beneath critical transport corridors, including Central Railway, Western Railway and Metro Line 3. The work requires high-precision engineering to navigate densely developed urban infrastructure.Once completed, the tunnel is expected to reduce travel time between Orange Gate and Marin..

Hindustan Zinc Pays Rs 188.46 Billion in FY26

Hindustan Zinc contributed Rs 188.46 billion to the public exchequer in FY 2025-26, according to its 9th Tax Transparency Report. The contribution, equivalent to 46 per cent of the company’s revenue, included direct and indirect taxes, government royalties, dividends to the Government of India, withholding taxes and other statutory levies.The company’s five-year cumulative contribution to the exchequer stood at Rs 915.72 billion. In FY26, Hindustan Zinc reported revenue of Rs 408.44 billion, EBITDA of Rs 221.62 billion and profit after tax of Rs 138.32 billion. It also achieved its highest..

World of Concrete India 2026 Opens in Mumbai

Informa Markets in India will host the 12th edition of World of Concrete India 2026 from 3–5 June 2026 at the Bombay Exhibition Centre, Mumbai. The specialised B2B exhibition will bring together manufacturers, suppliers, contractors, developers, architects, consultants, infrastructure companies, project leaders and government stakeholders.The event is expected to feature over 350 brands and more than 18,000 trade professionals. It will cover concrete and cement, dry mortar, precast technologies, formwork, construction chemicals, industrial and commercial flooring, scaffolding, safety solutio..