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The Hindu
3 hours ago
- General
- The Hindu
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.
New Indian Express
7 hours ago
- Climate
- New Indian Express
Navy's daring mid-sea rescue stabilises drifting cargo vessel off Kerala coast amid raging fire, high seas
NEW DELHI: The tow of the distressed container vessel MV Wan Hai 503 was successfully transferred to the ocean-going tug Offshore Warrior on Friday, stabilising what could have spiralled into a major maritime disaster. The firefighting and salvage operation of the Singapore-flagged vessel is being jointly carried out by the Indian Coast Guard (ICG), Indian Navy and Indian Air Force. Despite adverse weather that restricted aerial operations and delayed the salvage team's boarding, a Navy Sea King helicopter launched from Kochi on 13 June heroically winched team members onto the vessel under extremely challenging conditions. The salvage team then managed to connect a 600-metre tow rope to Offshore Warrior approximately 20 nautical miles off the coast of Kochi. The vessel is now being towed westward at a speed of 1.8 knots and is nearly 35 nautical miles offshore. Three ICG Offshore Patrol Vessels continue to escort the container ship and sustain firefighting operations. At present, only thick smoke and a few isolated hotspots remain onboard, a testament to the ICG's effective firefighting efforts that have helped avert a major environmental disaster. The ICG is closely coordinating with the Directorate General of Shipping to ensure the vessel remains at least 50 nautical miles from the Indian coastline until its fate is determined by the owners, in accordance with international norms. The situation is expected to further stabilise with the anticipated arrival of additional firefighting tugs.
United News of India
8 hours ago
- General
- United News of India
ICG, Navy & IAF execute high-risk operation to stabilise fire-hit Singaporean vessel off Kochi
New Delhi, June 14 (UNI) In a major development in the firefighting and salvage operation of Singaporean Vessel MV Wan Hai 503, the Indian Coast Guard (ICG), in coordination with Indian Navy and Indian Air Force, successfully transferred the tow of the distressed container vessel to the ocean-going tug Offshore Warrior. The ICG had been holding the vessel away from the Kerala coast for several days, but sudden deterioration in weather conditions and strong westerly winds caused it to dangerously drift toward the shoreline, a Defence Ministry statement said here. Despite adverse weather that restricted aerial operations and delayed salvage crew boarding, a Navy Sea King helicopter launched from Kochi on Friday successfully winched salvage team members onto the vessel under extremely challenging conditions. The team then managed to connect a 600-metre tow rope to Offshore Warrior approximately 20 nautical miles off the coast of Kochi. The vessel is now being towed westward at a speed of 1.8 knots and is nearly 35 nautical miles offshore. Three ICG Offshore Patrol Vessels are continuing to escort the container ship and sustain firefighting operations. At present, only thick smoke and a few isolated hotspots remain onboard, a testament to the ICG's effective firefighting efforts that have helped avert a major environmental disaster. The ICG is closely coordinating with the Directorate General of Shipping to ensure the vessel remains at least 50 nautical miles from the Indian coastline until its fate is determined by the owners, in accordance with international norms. The situation is expected to further stabilise with the anticipated arrival of additional firefighting tugs. UNI RBE PRS
The Hindu
a day ago
- General
- The Hindu
Towline set up; effort on to tow Wan Hai 503 away from Kerala coast
The Navy on Friday used a Seaking helicopter to insert three salvors onboard the Singapore-flagged container ship Wan Hai 503, which has been on fire since June 9 following an explosion off the coast of Kerala. The salvors established a towline between the burning ship and the tug Offshore Warrior. While the fire aboard the ship was largely brought under control, it continued to drift and was approximately 30 nautical miles from the Kerala coast. A communication from the Directorate General of Shipping stated that the fire onboard remained active, primarily located in the midship section of the vessel, generating dense chemical fumes. Although much of the cargo had been consumed by fire, making the vessel lighter, this reduction in weight increased the risk of rapid drift or uncontrolled movement towards shallower waters, particularly under high wind conditions, according to the situation report. Besides Offshore Warrior, another tug was at the location with a standby rope to connect with the ship on Saturday morning. A third tug was expected to reach the site from Kochi on Friday night to augment towing efforts, with the aim of towing the ship away from the coast into deeper waters. Stocks replenished Meanwhile, foam and dry chemical powder stocks were replenished and pre-positioned for immediate use at sea and onshore, ensuring uninterrupted firefighting capability. Authorities along the State's coast maintained hospital readiness, kept ambulances ready, and pre-positioned fire tenders at designated coastal locations. These arrangements, it was maintained, would ensure a rapid response should the vessel drift into coastal waters and grounding occur. Based on current estimates, if the vessel moved within 10-15 kilometres of the coastline, approximately seven to eight hours' notice would be available before potential grounding, allowing for timely deployment of emergency measures. The situation remained sensitive and volatile, with multiple risk factors converging as the vessel drifted under deteriorating weather conditions. While the present drift showed temporary movement away from the Kochi coast, any shift in wind, current, or sea state could quickly alter the vessel's trajectory towards the shoreline. The identified risk zone remained concentrated between the Kochi and Alappuzha sectors, the report said.
The Hindu
2 days ago
- General
- The Hindu
Ship on fire: salvage operation delayed as salvor's vessel runs out of fuel
Even as the authorities have been struggling to contain the raging fire onboard the Singapore-flagged container vessel MV Wan Hai 503, which caught fire off the Kerala coast on June 9, the vessel, Offshore Warrior, deployed by the owners of the ship to mitigate the imminent danger of a possible explosion had to leave the site of the accident after running short of fuel, delaying the entire emergency response operations. In a letter addressed to Wan Hai International Pvt Ltd, Singapore, on Wednesday, Director General of Shipping (DGS) Shyam Jagannatan said the vessel, Offshore Warrior, did not have adequate fuel onboard to continue the operation and had departed for Kochi for refuelling. The letter said while it was understood that the salvors (T&T Salvage) appointed by the owners of the ship might have positioned the vessel at the accident site to secure the salvage contract, the concealment of critical operational information was entirely unacceptable. Though the Indian Coast Guard had successfully managed to connect a towline to the burning vessel, the absence of Offshore Warrior was expected to delay the towing of MV Wan Hai 503 away from the Indian coast, which could have serious implications given the prevailing conditions, the DGS noted. Further, it was observed that Offshore Warrior that was positioned at the seat of the fire had limited firefighting capability and lacked foam to contain the spread of fire, making the vessel unsuitable for effectively addressing the rapidly evolving and critical situation, he said. Serious concerns Despite the severity of the incident, no firefighting assets or tugs had been deployed, no equipment had reached the site and necessary salvage assets still remained absent. The response initiated by the owners and salvors to mitigate the imminent danger raised serious concerns. Stressing the need to immediately deploy suitable firefighting and salvage equipment, trained personnel, and support assets by the vessel owners and their appointed salvors, the DGS made it clear that any further delay in the process was an unacceptable risk to human life, the marine environment, and navigation safety. The Shipping Directorate would not hesitate to initiate criminal liability proceedings and other punitive measures against the parties concerned as they were responsible for launching effective measures. The owners, salvors, and other personnel concerned would be held responsible under applicable legal provisions for failure to take prompt and appropriate action in a maritime casualty, he said.
