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China shows ‘gratitude' to Indian Navy for saving 14 Chinese crew near Kochi
The Defence Public Relations Office (PRO) in Kochi stated that following reports of a fire aboard MV Wan Hai 503, the Indian Navy diverted INS Surat and planned a Dornier sortie from INS Garuda. Meanwhile, the Indian Coast Guard deployed a CG Dornier aircraft along with other assets for rescue and assessment operations read more
Chinese Ambassador to India Yu Jing on Tuesday thanked the Indian Navy and the Mumbai Coast Guard for rescuing the crew of MV Wan Hai 503 caught fire 78 nautical miles off the coast of Beypore in Kerala on Monday. The crew included 14 Chinese and six Taiwanese nationals.
'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 and the Mumbai Coast Guard for their prompt and professional rescue,' Jing said on X.
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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… https://t.co/3V8vr1xVW9 — Yu Jing (@ChinaSpox_India) June 10, 2025
In a social media post, the Defence Public Relations Office (PRO) in Kochi stated that following reports of a fire aboard MV Wan Hai 503, the Indian Navy diverted INS Surat and planned a Dornier sortie from INS Garuda. Meanwhile, the Indian Coast Guard deployed a CG Dornier aircraft along with other assets for rescue and assessment operations.
Further updates by the Defence PRO mentioned that five Coast Guard ships– Sachet, Arnvesh, Samudra Prahari, Abhinav, and Rajdoot– were involved in the rescue mission. A C144 aircraft was also included in the list of assets deployed.
Visuals provided by the maritime security agencies showed the fire engulfing the mid section of the Singapore-flagged container vessel measuring 270 metres in length with a draught of 12.5 metres.
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It was the second incident involving cargo vessels off the Kerala coast in a month. On 24 May, a Liberian-flagged cargo vessel, MSC ELSA-3, sank 14.6 nautical miles off the coast.
With inputs from agencies
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Similarly, the Wan Hai 503 was Singaporean-flagged but owned by Taiwanese interests, with hazardous cargo misdeclaration suspected in the explosions. FoC states often lack the resources for thorough investigations, delaying liability attribution and compensation. Liberia, for example, ignored India's probe into the MSC Elsa 3 incident. FoC states like Panama, Liberia, and the Marshall Islands outsource vessel inspections to private agencies, leading to cursory checks and certification. The MSC Elsa 3, despite its 21 deficiencies, was never declared unseaworthy. The Wan Hai 503, carrying 157 containers of hazardous materials including undeclared explosives and lithium batteries, also exemplifies this issue. These incidents reflect broader systemic problems, including the hiring of cheap, inexperienced labour to cut costs, sources point out. 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