Feature Image: © Sky News
The situation aboard the Wan Hai 503 remains precarious, with India’s Ministry of Defence describing it as ‘critical’ amid ‘unfavourable’ sea conditions.
Sky News has reported that five coastguard ships, two Dornier aircraft, and a helicopter are working to quell the blaze on board the Wan Hai 503 containership.
The 269-metre vessel, carrying 2,128 metric tonnes of fuel, remains roughly 42 nautical miles adrift from the Port of Beypore in the state of Kerala.
According to Defence officials, the situation poses a “serious risk to the marine environment and regional shipping routes”.
“With the fire yet to be fully extinguished, efforts to establish a towline and pull the vessel away from the coast are underway to prevent a potential ecological disaster. The situation remains critical and is being monitored continuously.”
The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) reported that salvage team members were winched onto the burning vessel on 11 June to assist with the towing operation. However, sea conditions were described as ‘unfavourable’, and while the fire has been ‘largely contained,’ the inner decks remain ablaze, reported Sky News.
READ: Wan Hai 503 fire partially contained, efforts ongoing
On 9 June, the coastguard received a distress alert from the vessel when a fire had sparked inside one of the containers. The Wan Hai 503 was due to arrive at Mumbai’s Jawaharlal Nehru Port on 16 June, voyaging from Colombo, Sri Lanka, carrying 1,754 containers—including 143 hazardous cargo units—and over 2,000 tonnes of fuel oil.
Of the 22 crew members, 18 have been rescued. Two remain hospitalised with serious injuries, while 16 have been discharged. Four crew members remain missing, however, with search and rescue operations ongoing.
The state government issued a high alert along its coastal areas and advised fishermen not to venture near the site where the containership, which carried hazardous cargo, had sunk.
The cause of the explosion remains undetermined.
Earlier this March, a collision between an oil tanker and a cargo ship in the North Sea, off the coast of East Yorkshire, left both vessels engulfed in flames.
