Oil spill from fire-damaged container ship may reach Kerala coast by June 14
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS) has warned the state government that the oil spill from the fire-damaged cargo vessel Wan Hai 503 could reach Kerala coast by Saturday, triggering a potential environmental crisis.
As per the simulated forecast by INCOIS, the ocean information service provider under the Ministry of Earth Sciences, the oil spill could begin washing ashore between Chavakkad and Kochi by June 14 and Ernakulam coast by June 15.
The simulation based on the presumed spill of 100 tonnes of fuel oil starting Wednesday (June 11) was conducted using advanced forecasting models by INCOIS. The agency has warned the state government of potential shoreline contamination and ecological damage owing to the oil spill and has advised immediate response from local authorities.
The warning comes three days after the Singapore-flagged cargo vessel Wan Hai 503 caught fire following a container explosion on June 9, approximately 70 nautical miles off the Kozhikode coast. The vessel, which was en route to Mumbai's Nhava Sheva port from Colombo, remains unmanned and adrift.
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