The Kerala High Court directed four crew members of MSC Elsa 3 – a container ship that sank off the coast of Alappuzha in May 2025 and caused extensive marine and coastal pollution along the Kerala coast – to approach the magistrate court, Thopumpady, to seek bail.

They had approached the High Court, seeking its nod to return to their home countries.

The chargesheet against them had been filed before the magistrate court concerned. The court held that they can leave the country if the magistrate court granted them bail without any travel restrictions.

The court had a week ago allowed the electro-technical engineer, the seaman, and the motorman of the ship to return to their home countries. The crew members had submitted that their detention was illegal and that the authorities had insisted on their presence in the State for investigation.

The court had earlier sought a progress report from the magistrate to determine the reasons for the alleged delay in the investigation and the expected timeline for completing the probe.