
Ship carrying 640 containers and hazardous chemicals sinks off India
NEW DELHI: A container vessel carrying hundreds of cargo boxes and hazardous chemicals sank off south India on Sunday morning after efforts to salvage it failed.
All 24 crew members of the Liberia-flagged MSC ELSA 3 were rescued by the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) and the navy.
The 184-metre-long ship was en route to Kochi from Vizhinjam port.
It began tilting on Saturday about 38 nautical miles southwest of Kochi.
Coast guard patrol ships and the merchant vessels MV Han Yi and MSC Silver 2 were diverted to assist the capsized vessel, which sank due to flooding at 7.50am on Sunday, according to an Indian Defence Ministry statement.
The vessel was carrying 640 containers, including 13 containing hazardous cargo and 12 with calcium carbide.
The ship held 84 tonnes of diesel and 367 tonnes of furnace oil in its tanks.
It was manned by 20 crew members from the Philippines, two Ukrainians, one Georgian and one Russian national.
Given the sensitive marine ecosystem along the Kerala coast, the coast guard has activated full pollution response preparedness, the Defence Ministry said.
"ICG aircraft equipped with advanced oil spill detection systems are conducting aerial surveillance, and ICG ship Saksham, carrying pollution response equipment, remains deployed at the site. So far, no oil spill has been reported," it said. – BERNAMA
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


The Star
13-06-2025
- The Star
Coast guard stamps out fires on vessel
Heavy plumes: Smoke billowing from MV Wan Hai 503, which caught fire 78 nautical miles off Beypore port in Kerala state. — AFP THE coast guard said it was battling to extinguish fires raging on a container ship carrying 'hazardous' cargo off the southern coast to prevent a 'potential ecological disaster'. The 268m Singapore-flagged container vessel MV Wan Hai 503, carrying 22 crew members – four of whom are missing – caught fire about 78 nautical miles off India's Beypore port on Monday. Photographs released by the coast guard after the blaze broke out showed heavy containers scattered about the vessel, as if hurled up by a powerful explosion. Since then, fire has engulfed the ship. 'The vessel is carrying 2,128 metric tonnes of fuel and hundreds of containers, including hazardous cargo, posing a serious risk to the marine environment and regional shipping routes,' the coast guard said in a statement late Wednesday. It did not provide more details on the contents of the cargo, but said 'the situation remains critical'. Eighteen crew members were rescued by the Indian coast guard and navy. Four crew – one from Indonesia, two from Taiwan and one from Myanmar – were listed as missing. The coast guard said it had 'winched five salvage team members' and a diver onto the burning ship. '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,' it said. 'Intensive firefighting efforts... have significantly reduced visible flames,' it added. 'However, the fire remains active in the inner decks and near fuel tanks.' Seven vessels, including five coast guard vessels as well as airplanes and a helicopter, were engaged in trying to put out the fire. The MV Wan Hai 503 container ship is the second to run into trouble off India's southern coast within weeks. A Liberian-flagged container ship, also with hazardous cargo, sank off the coast of Kerala late last month. The Indian navy rescued all 24 crew members. — AFP


Free Malaysia Today
12-06-2025
- Free Malaysia Today
India battles container ship fire with ‘hazardous' cargo
The 268m Singapore-flagged container ship caught fire on Monday. (Indian coast guard/AFP pic) NEW DELHI : India's coast guard said it was battling to extinguish fires raging on a container ship carrying 'hazardous' cargo off the southern coast to prevent a 'potential ecological disaster'. The 268m Singapore-flagged container vessel MV Wan Hai 503, carrying 22 crew members, four of whom are missing, caught fire about 78 nautical miles off India's Beypore port on Monday. Photographs released by the coast guard soon after the blaze broke out showed heavy containers scattered about the vessel, as if hurled up by a powerful explosion. Since then, fire has engulfed the ship. 'The vessel is carrying 2,128 metric tons of fuel and hundreds of containers, including hazardous cargo, posing a serious risk to the marine environment and regional shipping routes,' the coast guard said in a statement late Wednesday. It did not provide more details on the contents of the cargo, but said that 'the situation remains critical'. Eighteen crew members were rescued by the Indian coast guard and navy. Four crew — one from Indonesia, two from Taiwan and one from Myanmar — were listed as missing. The coast guard said it had 'winched five salvage team members' and a diver onto the burning ship. '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', it said. 'Intensive firefighting efforts have significantly reduced visible flames', it added. 'However, the fire remains active in the inner decks and near fuel tanks.' Seven vessels, including five coast guard vessels as well as airplanes and a helicopter, were engaged in trying to put out the fire. The MV Wan Hai 503 container ship is the second to run into trouble off India's southern coast within weeks. A Liberian-flagged container ship, also with hazardous cargo, sank off the coast of Kerala late last month. The Indian navy rescued all 24 crew members.


The Star
10-06-2025
- The Star
China thanks Indian Navy, Coast Guard for swift rescue of its nationals from burning vessel off Kerala coast
NEW DELHI: China has expressed its gratitude towards the Indian Navy and the Mumbai Coast Guard for their 'prompt and professional' rescue of eight Chinese nationals, who were among the 22 crew members on board the Singapore-flagged container vessel — MV Wan Hai 503 — which caught fire after explosions off the Kerala coast. The Spokesperson of the Chinese Embassy in India, Yu Jing, posted on X: 'On June 9, MV Wan Hai 503 encountered an onboard explosion and fire 44 nautical miles off Azhikkal, Kerala. Of the total 22 crew members on board, 14 are Chinese, including 6 from Taiwan. Our gratitude goes to the Indian Navy and the Mumbai Coast Guard for their prompt and professional rescue. We wish further search operations successful and the injured crew members a speedy recovery.' Earlier on Monday (June 9), the vessel, which was on its way from Colombo to Nhava Sheva, caught fire after an explosion under deck in the Arabian Sea off the coast of Kozhikode in Kerala. The incident was reported when the vessel was approximately 78 nautical miles off Beypore. Of the 22 people on board, 18 jumped into the sea. They have been rescued by the Navy. Four members, who went for the initial firefighting, are reported missing. Five crew members have sustained injuries, and two have suffered severe burns. The vessel is presently adrift, and firefighting efforts by the Indian Coast Guard are underway even as fires and explosions persisted from mid‑ships to the container bay ahead of the accommodation block. In a statement on Tuesday, the Indian Coast Guard said that the forward‑bay fire is now under control, though thick smoke remains. 'Vessel is listing approx 10–15° to port. More containers reported overboard. India Coast Guard ships Samudra Prahari & Sachet are conducting fire-fighting operations & boundary cooling. ICG Ship Samarth, along with salvors being deployed from Kochi,' said the Indian Coast Guard. - The Statesman/ANN