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.
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Hindustan Times
an hour ago
- Hindustan Times
Blaze, explosions continue on cargo vessel; oil advisory issued
Hectic efforts to douse the fire on the Singapore-flagged cargo ship containing hazardous and flammable cargo off the coast of Kerala continued for a second day on Tuesday, with experts warning of drifting containers and a potential oil spill. The vessel — Wan Hai 503 — was sailing from Colombo to Nhava Sheva port in Mumbai when an explosion in one of its containers sparking a fire on Monday, when it was around 70 nautical miles off Kozhikode. The Navy and the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) rescued 18 of the 22 members while four remained missing. Another official said that among the 18 rescued, two are said to be in critical condition, while four have minor injuries. Twelve others suffered varying levels of trauma. The injured were evacuated and transported to AJ Hospital in Kuntikana late on Monday night. The vessel continues to be adrift. 'The blaze reported on the cargo vessel Wan Hai 503 is continuing, though its intensity has reduced in the last few hours. The fire in the section from mid-ship to the container bay ahead of the accommodation block is continuing. At the same time, the fire in the forward bay section of the vessel is under control. Three vessels of the ICG — Samudra Prahari, Sachet and Samarth — are engaged in dousing the fire and will continue through the night,' a defence official in Kochi said on condition of anonymity. The official added: 'The ship has tilted 15 degrees to one side and remains in stable equilibrium for now.' The Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS) has warned of drifting containers and a possible oil spill. The agency activated its Search and Rescue Aid Tool (SARAT) to track possible drift patterns of containers and oil and assessed that there was 70-80% chance of such containers drifting south-southeastwards in the next three days. 'Simulations show that the containers are likely to continue to drift in the ocean for the next three days and might take longer to reach the beach. However, caution is advised about a few containers beaching between Kozhikode and Kochi. The situation is closely monitored and updated drift directions will be provided,' INCOIS said in a statement. A cargo manifest handed over to the Kerala government by the shipping authorities and seen by HT confirmed that at least 157 containers were filled with four classes of dangerous goods, including flammable liquids and solids, toxic chemicals, pesticides, polymeric beads (plastic) and hydrazine. Defence officials have confirmed that several containers have fallen into the sea over the past couple of days during the fire. INCOIS ran its Oil Spill Trajectory System, which models the movement of a hypothetical 100-ton bunker oil spill from the vessel. Though the exact quantity of any spillage is still unknown, forecast simulations suggest the oil would drift parallel to the coastline from June 10 through June 13, with continuous monitoring underway. AM Riyas, an experienced merchant navy captain, said the priority right now was to ensure that the ship doesn't sink. 'From what we can understand, over the last few hours, the rescue ships of the ICG have been able to come near the burning ship. If the ship goes down in the sea, there will be two types of impact -- the pollution from the dangerous goods which will affect the marine ecosystem and the pollution from possible leakage of marine diesel and furnace oil. The furnace oil is just like tar and can have massive adverse effects. So all the officials need to ensure that the ship doesn't go down,' Riyas told local media. Anu Gopinath, professor and head of department of aquatic environment management at Kerala University of Fisheries and Ocean Studies (KUFOS), pointed out the high possibility of leakage of chemicals from the cargo containers into the sea and the impact it would have on the marine wealth. 'Since the ship is in a completely burnt state and the containers likely to have burst open, there is a high chance of the chemicals leaking into the sea. There are a lot of environmentally hazardous substances like polymeric beads, styrene (plastic), specific pesticides in liquid form and a variety of chemical compounds. The chemicals are basically organic solvents and will have a big choking effect on the fish community. Since it's currently breeding season, the leakage of chemicals will affect juvenile fish and in the long-term enter the human food chain,' said Gopinath. 'The impact of the Singapore ship fire on the marine ecosystem will no doubt be massive, much more than the MSC ELSA 3 incident,' she said. Two of the six ship crew, who were hospitalised, are currently battling critical burns in Mangaluru. Dinesh Kadam, a plastic surgeon at AJ hospital, said, 'We received six patients, all of whom have burns. But the condition of two of them are critical. One person has 30% burns and the other 40% burns. Mainly, they have airway or respiratory burns which are severe in nature. They have breathing problems, and we are giving them all the critical care and attention.'
India Gazette
an hour ago
- India Gazette
Indian Coast Guard working to combat fire on Singapore-flagged container ship
Kochi (Kerala) [India], June 11 (ANI): The Indian Coast Guard is continuously working to combat the fire that engulfed the Singapore-flagged container ship MV Wan Hai 503. It said attempts were being made to control the vessel fire that injured several crew members. Of the 22 crew members, 18 were rescued by the Indian Navy, while four are still missing. According to the Indian Coast Guard, as of 5:00 PM on Tuesday, the flames on the container ship were reduced, as thick smoke continued to emanate. 'Indian Coast Guard ships continue to fight the fire and attempt to bring the inferno on the container ship MV WAN HAI 503 under control off Kerala coast. Visible flames have reduced, and thick smoke continues to emanate as of 1700 hours today,' the Indian Coast Guard said. Meanwhile, the Chinese Embassy in India spokesperson Yu Jing on Tuesday expressed gratitude to the Indian Navy and the Mumbai Coast Guard for their prompt and professional rescue of its crew members onboard the Singapore-flagged container ship MV Wan Hai 503, which encountered an onboard explosion and fire 44 nautical miles off Kerala's Azhikkal. According to Yu Jing, Chinese and Taiwanese crew members were among those onboard MV Wan Hai. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson wished for successful search operations and speedy recovery for injured crew members. 'On June 9, MV Wan Hai 503 encountered 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 @indiannavy 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 posted on X. Four crew members were reported missing and five injured after an explosion under deck was reported onboard MV WAN HAI 503 while it was on passage from Colombo to Nhava Sheva. Indian Coast Guard ships have been deployed for firefighting and rescue operations. According to the Indian Coast Guard, four crew members were reported missing following the explosion on Monday, and five others sustained injuries. The vessel was carrying containerised cargo and had a total crew of 22 onboard. CGDO on task was diverted for assessment. Of the 18 rescued crew members of the Singapore-flagged MV Wan Hai 503, six were brought to the AJ Hospital for medical treatment post-midnight on Tuesday. Dinesh Kadam, Plastic Surgeon at AJ Hospital, said that two rescuees had critical injuries with 35 to 40 per cent burns. The Indian Naval Ship (INS) Surat, carrying the rescued crew members who sustained injuries in the vessel fire, had arrived at the New Mangalore Port Authority (NMPA), Panambur. According to Plastic Surgeon Kadam, the six rescuees are from multiple nationalities, including Chinese and Indonesian. Of the six rescued crew members, two have suffered critical injuries. 'We have received six patients. All of them have burns. Three are Chinese nationals, two are from Burma (Myanmar), and one is from Indonesia. Two are critically injured with 35-40 per cent burns. Mainly, they have airway burns, that is, respiratory burns, which are much more severe. They have breathing problems. We have to monitor closely over a few days and see how they do. Right now, we're giving all the attention and critical care,' Kadam told reporters here. According to the Indian Navy, the vessel carried 22 crew members, including eight Chinese, six Taiwanese, five Myanmarese, and three Indonesian nationals. Following the explosion and escalation of the fire, the crew abandoned the ship. The MV reported an internal container explosion and a major fire onboard. The vessel was en route from Colombo, Sri Lanka, to Nhava Sheva, Mumbai, and its expected arrival time (ETA) was June 10. 'The Flag Administration of Singapore has been formally notified. The Directorate General of Shipping (DGS), India, has instructed the ship's owners to immediately engage qualified salvors and firefighting experts,' the release stated. (ANI)
Time of India
5 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)
