MV Wan Hai 503 blaze rages on; explosives confirmed, Kerala coast on Alert
KOCHI: Fire continued to rage and dark smoke with toxic fumes kept billowing from MV Wan Hai 503 on Tuesday, a day after a major blast ripped through the Singapore flagged container vessel. The Director General (DG) of Shipping released a list of 157 containers carrying hazardous cargo, but details of the explosives have not been revealed.
However, sources confirmed the presence of explosives in the vessel, saying they might have triggered the blast.
A top official said the shipping firm has been told that the vessel will not be allowed to dock at Indian ports and they will have to take it off Indian waters after dousing the fire.
'We have confirmed the presence of explosives on the vessel. But the list of dangerous goods released does not have these details. We believe the initial blast was triggered by the explosives and the fire spread to the inflammable cargo. Among the 18 crew members, five sustained burn injuries and were admitted to a hospital.
The others are lodged in a hotel. The DG Shipping authorities will start recording their statements on Wednesday. The salvage team appointed by the shipping firm will arrive in Kochi on Wednesday morning. There are expert chemists in the team and the efforts to neutralise the toxic chemicals will be taken up based on their advice,' said a senior officer.
Indian Coast Guard vessels Samudra Prahari and Sachet toiled hard pumping water at high force on the vessel to contain the flames while other ICG vessels Samarth, Abhinav and Arnvesh were, in addition to providing support, coordinating rescue operations. Indian Navy vessel INS Sutlej also joined the operations on Tuesday evening.
The Dornier aircraft of Coast Guard deployed for surveillance has sighted around 10 to 15 containers drifting in the southeasterly direction. The estimated speed of the drift is 1 to 1.5 knots per hour. If unchecked, these containers may reach Kerala coast between Ernakulam and Thiruvananthapuram by Thursday. The contents of the floating containers remain unknown, and their potential for hazard is under assessment.
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