Cargo ship catches fire off Kerala coast, 4 missing
A Singapore-flagged container ship on its way to Navi Mumbai caught fire off the coast of Kerala on Monday, the Indian Coast Guard said.
While four of the ship's 22 crew members were missing, the remaining had been rescued, it added. A search operation was underway to rescue the missing persons.
The 18 members of the crew had reportedly jumped into the sea and used emergency rafts to escape the fire that broke out in the middle portion of the ship MV Wan Hai 503, The Hindu quoted officials of the Kerala State Disaster Management Authority as saying.
The rescued crew was taken to Mangaluru in Karnataka for treatment, OnManorama reported.
The incident cook place when the vessel was off the coast of Beypore port, the news outlet reported. The Indian Coast Guard said that the ship was 130 nautical miles north-west of Kochi.
There were reportedly more than 650 containers, including 150 containing hazardous materials, in the cargo vessel, The Hindu reported. Twenty containers had fallen into the sea after several explosions and fire on board.
A container explosion had triggered the fire, OnManorama reported. The ship remained adrift and continued to emit smoke as of Monday night.
Five coast guard ships and an aircraft were dispatched to rescue the crew and for surveillance, The Hindu quoted officials from the Maritime Rescue Sub Centre in Kochi as saying.
The vessel had departed Colombo, Sri Lanka on Saturday and was expected to reach Mumbai on Tuesday.
Singaporean High Commissioner Simon Wong said on social media: 'Professional and rapid response of the Indian Coast Guard and the Indian Navy. Praying that remaining crew are found soon.'
While two of the four missing persons are Taiwanese citizens, one is from Indonesia and another from Myanmar.
The ship's owners have been requested to assess and report the nature of the cargo in the affected hold to ascertain the presence of hazardous material. No information has been yet received on whether dangerous goods were involved in the explosion, The Indian Express reported.
This came two weeks after a Liberian-flagged container vessel carrying 'hazardous cargo' sank off the coast of Kochi on May 25 after it began gradually tilting a day earlier. All 24 crew members on board the vessel were rescued.
On May 29, the Kerala government declared the wreckage of the container ship a state-specific disaster. It was carrying 13 containers with hazardous cargo and 12 of calcium carbide.
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Time of India
3 hours ago
- Time of India
Fire continues, more containers fall from Singapore-flagged vessel
Kochi: Fire continued onboard the Singapore-flagged vessel MV Wan Hai 503 on Tuesday, even as Indian Coast Guard (ICG) ships persisted in efforts to douse the blaze. The intensity of the fire reduced by Tuesday evening, but the density of the smoke has since increased, said an official source. The vessel, adrift 44 nautical miles off the Azhikkal coast, has listed approximately 10 to 15 degrees to port and more containers have reportedly fallen overboard, ICG said. While 18 crew members were rescued and brought to Mangaluru late Monday, four remain unaccounted for. The crew included eight Chinese, six Taiwanese, five Myanmarese and three Indonesian nationals. Among the rescued, two are reported to be in critical condition, while four sustained minor injuries. Meanwhile, Chinese Embassy in India spokesperson Yu Jing expressed gratitude to Indian Navy and Coast Guard for their prompt and professional rescue of the crew members. The vessel was en route from Colombo, Sri Lanka, to Nhava Sheva, Mumbai, when it encountered an onboard explosion on Monday. According to its cargo manifest, the ship is carrying "dangerous" cargo as per International Maritime Organisation (IMO) classification in as many as 157 containers, which include flammable, spontaneously combustible substances and toxic chemicals. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Pinga-Pinga e HBP? Tome isso 1x ao dia se tem mais de 40 anos Portal Saúde do Homem Clique aqui Undo Fire and explosions have continued from the midship area to the container bay ahead of the accommodation block. The fire in the forward bay is under control, though thick smoke remains, ICG said. ICG ships Samudra Prahari and Sachet have been conducting firefighting and boundary cooling operations since Monday. ICG ship Samarth, along with salvors, joined the efforts on Tuesday. Official sources said the three vessels would continue operations overnight, while a Coast Guard Dornier aircraft is conducting aerial surveillance. Indian Navy's INS Sutlej, which joined the search and rescue efforts on Monday, proceeded on Tuesday to conduct survey operations of the Liberian-flagged MSC Elsa 3, which sank off Thottappally in Alappuzha on May 25. A high-level virtual meeting of various stakeholders was convened to assess the situation. Representatives from the Directorate General of Shipping, Ministry of Ports, Indian Coast Guard, Indian Navy, shipowners, salvors, Kerala Maritime Board, State Pollution Control Board and State Disaster Management Authority participated in the meeting. "Similar meetings have been held every other day since the sinking of MSC Elsa 3. Tuesday's meeting reviewed the fire on MV Wan Hai 503. The vessels of the Indian Navy and Coast Guard are doing their level best, but a positive outcome is highly unlikely as the fire continues to rage and spread. Since there are containers drifting around the vessel, firefighting vessels are struggling to pump water from a close range. At the same time, there are flammable substances in the containers," said an official source. Kerala Maritime Board chairman N S Pillai said that the state govt currently has no major role other than to facilitate ongoing efforts. The govt's role would primarily involve mitigating the impact of the fallen containers, which may reach the shore, cause pollution and affect the fisherfolk. (With agency inputs)
The Hindu
5 hours ago
- The Hindu
Threat of pollution from ships: meeting of shipping, defence agencies held
Amid the raging fire on board the Singapore-flagged ship M.V. Wan Hai 503 off the Beypore coast since Monday (June 9), the sinking of Liberia-flagged ship MSC Elsa 3 off the Alappuzha coast on May 25, and the looming threat of marine pollution from the two vessels that were carrying hazardous and inflammable cargo, a meeting was held in Kochi on Tuesday (June 10) to take stock of the emerging situation. The attendees included officials of the Directorate General of Shipping, Mercantile Marine department, Kerala State Disaster Management Authority, Indian Navy, Indian Coast Guard, and the Kerala Maritime Board as well as representatives of the Government of Tamil Nadu, it is learnt. Officials of the Directorate General of Shipping said the priority was to douse the fire on Wan Hai 503 and to trace her missing crew members. Efforts by the Coast Guard ships to contain the fire have been affected by its spread to more areas of the vessel and the threat posed by floating containers that fell off the ship. This would be followed by efforts to curb pollution around the vessel and in places to which the pollutants spread. After taking stock of the situation, measures to salvage the cargo will be taken, in tandem with the ship's owner firm and the other agencies concerned. Officials of agencies under the Kerala government offered all help to mitigate the situation, it is learnt.
India Today
6 hours ago
- India Today
China thanks India for rescuing crew of Singapore-flagged ship that caught fire
A day after the Indian Navy successfully rescued the crew of a Singapore-flagged vessel after it caught fire off the Kerala coast, China expressed gratitude to of the Chinese Embassy in India, Yu Jing, thanked the Indian Navy and Mumbai Coast Guard for their prompt and professional rescue of the crew, which included 14 Chinese nationals."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 speedy recovery," Yu Jing wrote on On Monday morning, a Singapore-flagged container ship, MV Wan Hai 503, with 22 crew members on board caught fire following an explosion off the coast of Beypore in Kozhikode, Kerala. According to Yu Jing, the vessel had 22 crew members on board, including 14 Chinese nationals, six of whom are from Indian Navy, in a swift response, diverted INS Surat, which was scheduled to dock in Kochi, to provide immediate assistance. The Indian Coast Guard deployed multiple assets, including ICGS Rajdoot from off New Mangalore, ICGS Arnvesh from off Kochi, and ICGS Sachet from off Agatti. The CG Dornier aircraft on task was also diverted for assessment. The forward bay fire was brought under control, but thick smoke continued to rise from the vessel.18 crew members were recovered and brought to Mangaluru late on Monday, while four remain on Tuesday, issued an oil spill advisory while a Chinese engineer rescued from the burning vessel suffered critical injuries, PTI InMust Watch
