Containers from Wan Hai 503 likely to wash ashore on Ernakulam, Alappuzha and Kollam coasts between June 16 and June 18
Containers that fell overboard from the Singapore-flagged MV Wan Hai 503 are likely to wash ashore on the Ernakulam, Alappuzha and Kollam coasts between June 16 and June 18. The container ship had caught fire at sea on June 9 following an explosion.
The Kerala State Disaster Management Authority (KSDMA) issued the update on Saturday citing the Coast Guard and the International Tanker Owners Pollution Federation Limited (ITOPF). The public have been advised to stay away from any suspicious object found on the coast.
A distance of at least 200 metres should be maintained from them, the KSDMA said. The authority urged the people to alert the authorities about their presence on the emergency number 112. It may be recalled that a similar advisory had been issued in the case of the MSC Elsa shipwreck in May.
Meanwhile, the Navy said that MV Wan Hai 503 is at present beyond the 1,000-metre sounding line (depth) at a distance of about 45 nautical miles from the coast. According to the Navy, the ship is being towed to deeper waters.
The ship is stable, but with a tilt to port and smoke still rising from it.
The tug Offshore Warrior is towing the vessel. Coast Guard ship Saksham is fuelling the tug so that it continues to operate without disruption, the Navy said.
The Coast Guard said on Saturday that it was closely working with the Directorate General of Shipping to ensure that the container vessel remains at least 50 nautical miles from the Indian coast.
The Coast Guard said it intended to make sure that this distance is maintained 'until a suitable fate is decided by the owners of the vessel in line with internationally accepted practices.'
Salvage operations had moved forward in a big way after the vessel's towline was successfully transferred from Coast Guard ships to the ocean-going tug Offshore Warrior.
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