Blaze On Singapore Ship Enters Third Day, IAF's MI-17 V5 Joins Firefighting Ops
With the blaze still raging, the Indian Air Force's MI-17 V5 helicopter has been deployed to drop fire retardant, joining the Coast Guard's ongoing efforts off the Kerala coast
The MV Wan Hai 503 had 22 crew members on board — 8 Chinese, 6 Taiwanese, 5 Burmese, and 3 Indonesians. (X/@indiannavy)
A massive fire continues to rage onboard the Singapore-flagged container ship MV Wan Hai 503 for the third consecutive day, even as Indian authorities intensify firefighting and search operations off the Kerala coast. The Indian Coast Guard is leading efforts on the sea, while the Indian Air Force has now deployed an MI-17 V5 helicopter to conduct aerial sorties and drop fire suppressant dye to douse the flames.
The incident was first reported on Monday, June 9, around 09:30 AM, when a series of explosions triggered an underdeck fire while the vessel was sailing approximately 130 nautical miles northwest of Kochi. The alert was relayed by the Maritime Operations Centre (MOC) in Mumbai to its Kochi counterpart. The ship was reportedly near Beypore, off Kozhikode district, when the fire broke out.
The vessel, en route from Colombo to Mumbai's Nhava Sheva port, was carrying nitrocellulose, a highly flammable substance used in manufacturing explosives and industrial chemicals. The cargo, imported by a Mumbai-based company, is under investigation.
The MV Wan Hai 503 had 22 crew members on board — 8 Chinese, 6 Taiwanese, 5 Burmese, and 3 Indonesians. As the fire intensified, the entire crew was forced to abandon ship. In a coordinated operation, the Indian Navy deployed INS Surat and a Dornier aircraft, rescuing 18 crew members, who were later brought to Mangaluru. Among them, two crew members are critically injured, and four have minor injuries. The rest have been accommodated in a hotel.
Four crew members remain missing, and extensive search efforts are underway.
#IndianNavy in a closely coordinated #SearchAndRescue operation with @IndiaCoastGuard, DG Shipping and other stakeholders, has safely rescued 18 out of 22 crew members Singaporean Flagged MV Wan Hai 503. The MV had reported internal container explosion and resultant major fire… pic.twitter.com/y0hYqP6ZIc — SpokespersonNavy (@indiannavy) June 9, 2025
Singapore's High Commissioner to India, Simon Wong, took to X to thank Indian authorities, saying:
Deep gratitude 🙏 for our Indian friends @IndiaCoastGuard @indiannavy @IN_HQSNC @IN_WNC @SpokespersonMoD swift and brave rescue operations for the 🇸🇬-flagged MV Wan Hai 503 which caught fire off #Beypore. HC Wong #IndianNavy #IndianCoastGuard 📷: @DefencePROkochi pic.twitter.com/0aAqPaukoa — Singapore in India (@SGinIndia) June 9, 2025
Firefighting Efforts Continue
Coast Guard vessels Sachet and Samudra Prahari remain at the site, battling the fire with support from IAF's MI-17 V5, which is now conducting aerial suppression operations. The fire continues to pose safety and environmental risks, especially after 15–20 containers fell overboard due to the explosions.
Authorities say a full investigation is underway into the cause of the fire, the explosions, and the hazardous cargo's intended use. The ship remains adrift and under constant watch.
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