It is only halfway through 2025, but we have already seen two major maritime incidents that have resulted in the release of millions of plastic pellets into the environment.
These latest incidents, which occurred in the North Sea and Arabian Sea, once again demonstrate the high risk of pellet pollution from supply chain sources and the danger posed to wildlife and communities around the world.
Though these incidents occurred oceans apart from each other, they represent the latest in a long line of such spills from shipping across the world, with previous incidents recorded in South Africa, New Zealand, the USA, Hong Kong, Spain and more 1. These latest spills highlight the urgent need for international regulation to help prevent further plastic pellet pollution and for effective response protocols to be in place for when such spills occur.
The latest in a long line of spills
On the 10th of March 2025, the container ship Solong collided with the oil tanker Stena Immaculate 13 miles off the east coast of England in the North Sea. Multiple shipping containers were lost following the collision and subsequent fire, including plastic pellets. Within days, large quantities of plastic pellets (both individual pellets and melted clumps) begun washing up along the Lincolnshire and Norfolk coastlines, including in internationally important conservation areas, posing a major risk to wildlife health and local communities. The organised clean-up response saw over 10,000kg of plastic recovered from beaches, however large amounts of pellets remain in the environment and will continue to impact this area and beyond for years to come.
Image 1 - A large clump of melted plastic pellets on a beach in north Norfolk, following collision of Solong and Stena Immaculate (Credit - Fidra)
Only 2 months after the incident in the North Sea, a second devastating maritime spill occurred in the Arabian sea. On the 25th of May 2025, the container ship, MSC Elsa 3, sank off the coast of India’s Kerala state, resulting in the release of millions of pellets into the environment. Reports of pellets washing up on the beaches of Kerala began on the 27th of May, with loose and 25kg bags of pellets covering multiple beaches along a large area of coastline, as local communities and authorities organised responses. In the subsequent weeks, pellets have continued to spread far from the spill source, reaching as far as Sri Lanka, as well as neighbouring states such as Tamil Nadu. Large amounts of pellets have also been found in the recently established Dhanushkodi Greater flamingo sanctuary, heightening concerns for local wildlife.
Image 2 - Plastic pellets cover beaches in Kerala, India, following the sinking of the MSC Elsa 3 (Credit - Shaunak Modi)
Tragically this is not the first time this region has been impacted by a major pellet spill, with the incident occurring only 4 years after the devastating X-Press Pearl disaster. On the 20th of May 2021, the container ship X-Press Pearl sank off Columbo, on Sri Lanka’s west coast. The incident resulted in over 1,600 tonnes of plastic pellets being released into the environment and is recognised as the world’s worst recorded pellet spill. The spill resulted in pellets smothering beaches up to 2 meters deep and impacting large stretches of Sri Lanka’s coastline, with pellets spreading far across the wider region 2,3. The spill has had profound consequences for wildlife, local communities and industries, and continues to impact Sri Lanka to this day. The arrival of more plastic pellets from the MSC Elsa 3 incident now adds to this legacy of pellet pollution from the X-Press Pearl disaster.
The impacts of plastic pellet spills
Pellet pollution is a major risk to wildlife, communities and industries. Once in the environment, pellets can spread over a large area and remain for many years. Wildlife, such as fish and birds, can easily mistake plastic pellets for food, with ingestion potentially leading to starvation, organ damage and even death. Over 220 species have been found to have ingested microplastics, including nurdles. Pellets can also adsorb harmful chemicals and pathogens from the environment onto their surface. This can create a toxic chemical cocktail that can be spread throughout the environmental and enter food chains. Overtime pellets will also release microplastic fragments which can similarly enter food chains, and subsequently animal and human body tissues, disrupting their function.
Both the recent spills in the North Sea and Arabian Sea pose major risks to wildlife . Following the spill in the North Sea, millions of pellets washed up along ‘The Wash’ – an internationally important area for wetland conservation and birdlife. In India, pellet pollution has impacted coastal regions home to diverse marine wildlife and coral species, as well as important mangrove and wetland areas and the recently established Dhanushkodi Greater flamingo sanctuary.
The impact of a spill can also be devastating for communities and industries, such as tourism and fishing. Fishing communities are particularly vulnerable, as was seen following the X-Press Pearl disaster and now following the sinking of MSC Elsa 33. Pellet pollution can pose a significant threat to fish populations that fishing communities rely on, impacting consumer confidence in their produce. The presence of pellet pollution on beaches following a spill is also detrimental to communities right to a safe and healthy environment, as declared by the United Nations.
Solutions to end pellet pollution
These incidents illustrate once again the urgent need for regulation to help prevent further pellet pollution throughout the plastic supply chain, and for effective response protocols to be in place for when a spill does occur. Research shows that 95% of pellet pollution could be prevented through implementation of mandatory best practise measures (such as for handling and transport of pellets) along supply chains, supported by independent audits and improved transparency and traceability.
International agreements can play an important role in addressing global pellet pollution. The International Maritime Organisation (IMO) is currently in the process of adopting mandatory measures to regulate the transport of pellets at sea, following voluntary recommendations issued in 2024. The EU has also recently taken important steps to begin to address pellet pollution in the region. In April 2025, the EU adopted regulation to prevent pellet loss across the supply chain, including from shipping, through a legally binding supply chain approach. This new regulation sets an important president.
The UN Global Plastics Treaty presents a significant opportunity to ensure that pellet pollution is addressed globally and across the plastic supply chain. The final round of negotiations for a UN Global Plastics Treaty, known as INC5.2, will take place in August 2025. In June 2025, over 90 countries signed the Nice Declaration at the United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC), calling for an ambitious final Global Plastics Treaty. This declaration is a positive sign that nations around the world support an ambitious treaty and want to see robust action on pellet and wider plastic pollution. We hope that this momentum and ambition will be carried forward to INC5.2 as negotiations get underway in August.
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*edited 30/07/25
References:
1 - Oracle Environmental Experts, 'Mapping the global plastic pellet supply chain' (2023). https://hub.nurdlehunt.org/solutions/mapping-the-global-plastic-pellet-supply-chain/
2- Rubesinghe, C., Brosché, S., Withanage, H., Pathragoda, D., Karlsson, T. 'X-Press Pearl, a ‘new kind of oil spill’ consisting of a toxic mix of plastics and invisible chemicals'. International Pollutants Elimination Network (IPEN) (2022). https://ipen.org/sites/default/files/documents/ipen-sri-lanka-ship-fire-v1_2aw-en.pdf
3 - Centre for Environmental Justice (CEJ), 'Public Perception Study on the Socio-Economic Impact of the X-Press Pearl Maritime Disaster on the Coastal Communities of Sri Lanka' (2022). https://ejustice.lk/public-perception-study-on-the-socio-economic-impact-of-the-x-press-pearlmaritime-disaster-on-the-coastal-communities-of-sri-lanka/