Safety compromised? Second ship mishap in two weeks raises concerns
KOCHI: Two weeks after MSC Elsa 3 sank into the depths of the Arabian Sea around 14.6 nautical miles off the Kerala coast, the state's coastal waters have witnessed another mishap involving a container ship.
Wan Hai 503, a Singapore-flagged vessel that set sail from Colombo on June 7 to its next port of call, Nhava Shara in Mumbai, encountered a massive fire on board after an explosion in one of the containers.
While four crew members went missing and five others sustained burns, the incident raises many questions regarding maritime safety, precautionary measures while transporting hazardous cargo, and shipping of undeclared or misdeclared cargo. 'Apart from polluting the marine environment, these incidents have brought humiliation to our maritime sector,' former Coast Guard director general Prabhakaran Paleri told TNIE.
'After the MSC Elsa 3 incident, there was total confusion on the procedure to follow during such accidents. We should have a contingency plan. DG (Directorate General) Shipping, Kerala government, and the Kerala Maritime Board should work in coordination.' He said the government should form an inquiry commission to look into various aspects of the incident.
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Indian Express
40 minutes ago
- Indian Express
On fire off Kerala coast, cargo ship starts tilting; containers start drifting towards shore
A day after it caught fire off the coast of Kerala, a Singapore-flagged container ship with hazardous and flammable cargo is still on fire and has begun to tilt, the Coast Guard said. It also said that more containers have fallen off the ship on Tuesday. The Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS) has alerted that some of the containers would wash up along the Kerala coast. The Coast Guard said the fire and explosions on the ship are now mainly in the middle part of the ship. 'The forward‑bay fire is now under control, though thick smoke remains. Vessel is listing approximately 10 to 15 degrees to port (left side). More containers have fallen off the ship,' it said. Coast Guard ships Samudra Prahari and Sachet are conducting firefighting operations and boundary cooling. Another ship, Samarth, is being deployed from Kochi, the Coast Guard said. The defence spokesperson in Kochi, Commander Atul Pillai, said, 'Of the 22 crew in the ship, 18 rescued persons were brought to Mangaluru port on Monday night and handed over to the shipping agent for hospital care. Despite adverse conditions, two Coast Guard ships had gone close to the ship for firefighting. Using waterjet nozzles, the ships have tried to cool down the burning container vessel. On Tuesday morning, a Dornier aircraft was deployed for aerial surveillance, and after that, the way ahead will be decided.' He said searches are still underway for the missing crew. 'Navy ship INS Sutlej is also at the location. INS Suraj, which brought the rescued crew to Mangaluru, has returned to the spot to enhance the operations. Search operations are still on for the missing four crew. The shipping firm has already appointed a salvage master,' he said. The state disaster management authority on Tuesday released a list of the cargo aboard the vessel, which carried 157 containers. The cargo description (container manifest) shows the vessel has been carrying environmentally hazardous material in liquid and solid forms, and various types of flammable liquids. The cargo also includes printing ink, lithium batteries, naphthalene (crude and refined), and pesticides. Meanwhile, INCOIS, under the Ministry of Earth Sciences, has predicted that the containers, debris and other items that have fallen off the ship would drift south-southeast for the next three days, and a few of the containers could beach along the Kerala coast between Kozhikode and Kochi. 'Based on the simulation outputs generated by INCOIS using its Search and Rescue Aid Tool (SARAT), the containers are likely to continue to drift in the ocean for the next three days and might take longer to beach. However, caution is advised about a few containers beaching between Kozhikode and Kochi,' INCOIS said in an official communication. The ship contains 100 tonnes of bunker oil, but it is not clear how much of it has spilled. 'The simulated spilled oil pollutant is anticipated to drift parallel to the coastline by around 4 pm on June 10. By 4 pm on June 11, the pollutant is expected to continue its movement in a parallel direction along the coast,' INCOIS said.
NDTV
42 minutes ago
- NDTV
Watch: Cargo Ship On Fire Off Kerala, Coast Guard Sprays Water
Mangaluru: Eighteen crew members rescued from the blaze-hit Singapore-flagged container ship were safely brought to the New Mangalore Port Authority (NMPA) Coast Guard berth at Panambur by Indian Naval Ship INS Surat. Among the rescued, two are said to be in critical condition, while four sustained minor injuries and 12 others suffered varying levels of trauma. The injured were evacuated and transported to AJ Hospital in Kuntikana here late on Monday night. 'The critically injured were stabilised onboard INS Surat, and shifted on arrival under close medical supervision. Immediate evacuation was our priority,' a Coast Guard official told reporters. He added that immigration, port, and police authorities worked in unison to ensure a seamless handover and medical transfer. The ship MV Wan Hai 503, which caught fire on Sunday in the Arabian Sea off Kerala coast, had 22 crew members on board. While 18 have now been rescued, four remain unaccounted for. Search and rescue operations are ongoing. Port workers described emotional scenes as the injured disembarked — some helped by fellow crewmates, others in stretchers, whispering prayers of gratitude or anxiously inquiring about their missing colleagues.
The Print
an hour ago
- The Print
Fire, explosions persist aboard cargo ship off Kerala coast; Salvage ops underway
Indian Coast Guard ships Samudra Prahari and Sachet are carrying out firefighting and boundary cooling operations at sea to prevent the flames from spreading further. The forward bay fire has been brought under control, but thick smoke continues to rise from the vessel, MV Wan Hai 503. The ship is listing approximately 10 to 15 degrees to port, and more containers have reportedly fallen overboard, they said. Kochi, Jun 10 (PTI) Fires and explosions continue to rock the Singapore-flagged container vessel off the Kerala coast, with flames reported from the mid-ship area and container bay just ahead of the accommodation block, Indian Coast Guard officials said on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Coast Guard vessel Samarth, carrying a team of salvors, is being deployed from Kochi to support ongoing efforts. Earlier, a Defence PRO said the Indian Navy ship INS Surat disembarked the 18-member crew of the container vessel, which caught fire on Monday morning, as coordinated firefighting operations continued through the night. The crew were disembarked at Mangalore Port at 11.30 p m on Monday. Indian Coast Guard ships Sachet and Samudra Prahari remained engaged in firefighting efforts overnight, he said. Meanwhile, a Coast Guard Dornier aircraft took off on Tuesday morning to conduct an aerial survey of the incident site. Officials said Coast Guard vessel Samarth is set to sail out on Tuesday morning, carrying a salvage master to the location of the incident. The major fire broke out on board the Singapore-flagged ship after a container explosion. Eighteen crew members were rescued, while four remain missing. The incident occurred at approximately 9.20 am IST, around 44 nautical miles off Azhikkal in Kannur district of Kerala and 130 nautical miles northwest of Kochi. PTI TGB TGB ROH This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
