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Time of India
10-06-2025
- General
- Time of India
Drift and oil spill advisory issued after fire on container ship off Kerala coast
The Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS) has issued advisories warning of drifting containers and a potential oil spill following a major fire on the Singapore-flagged cargo vessel Wan Hai 503 . The ship caught fire off the Kerala coast on June 9. The ship, which was en route to Nhava Sheva , Mumbai from Colombo, experienced an explosion in one of its containers, sparking a massive onboard fire while sailing roughly 70 nautical miles off Kozhikode . The vessel is currently adrift. In response, INCOIS activated its Search and Rescue Aid Tool (SARAT) to track possible drift patterns of containers, debris, or people who may have gone overboard. According to the latest simulations, there is a 70-80 per cent probability that drifting objects may move south-southeastward from the incident site over the next three days. Live Events "Simulations show that the containers are likely to continue to drift in the ocean for the next three days and might take longer to reach the beach. However, caution is advised about a few containers beaching between Kozhikode and Kochi. The situation is closely monitored and updated drift directions will be provided," INCOIS said in a statement. Local authorities have been urged to step up coastal surveillance and prepare communities for possible navigational or shoreline hazards, it said. In parallel, INCOIS also ran its Oil Spill Trajectory System , which models the movement of a hypothetical 100-ton bunker oil spill from the vessel. Though the exact quantity of any spillage is still unknown, forecast simulations suggest the oil would drift parallel to the coastline from June 10 through June 13, with continuous monitoring underway. "At approximately 1600 hours on 12 June, the spill is projected to maintain this trajectory. By 1600 hours on 13 June, the pollutant is expected to have progressed further in parallel direction along the coast," it said. The advisory includes visual projections of potential oil movement, showing both floating and beached oil particles.
The Hindu
09-06-2025
- Science
- The Hindu
INCOIS estimates cargo vessel containers may drift for three more days off Kerala coast
Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS) has informed there is a '70-80%' probability that the containers, persons, debris which went overboard from the vessel 'Wan Hai 503' may drift south-southeastwards from the accident location for the next three days off the Kerala coast. The material including containers are likely to continue to drift in the ocean and might take longer to beach. However, caution is advised about a few containers beaching between Kozhikode and Kochi, it said in a bulletin released on Monday. The Indian Coast Guard had reported a maritime incident involving the Singapore-flagged Cargo vessel 'Wan Hai 503' en route to Nhava Sheva, Mumbai, from Colombo after it experienced a container explosion resulting in a significant onboard fire. The vessel was located approximately 70 nautical miles from Kozhikode, Kerala when the incident occurred and the vessel is currently adrift, said Director T. M. Balakrishnan Nair in a press release. INCOIS institute located in Hyderabad and working under the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) had deployed its Search and Rescue Aid Tool (SARAT) output for drifting/missing objects, a state-of-the-art, multi-model operational ocean forecasting system that assimilates real-time observational data from a network of coastal and deep-ocean buoys to estimate the drift of the vessel and containers. The situation is being closely monitored, and updated drift directions will be provided. An Oil Spill Trajectory System has also been deployed to forecast the movement and dispersion of a simulated oil spill in the marine environment using advanced ocean circulation models. The simulation outputs help decision-makers assess the possible spread of oil spill, identify vulnerable coastal areas, and coordinate timely and efficient containment and clean-up strategies to minimize ecological damage. The situation is being monitored continuously in close coordination with the Coast Guard, and other stakeholders, to provide updated advisories as needed, said Director T. M. Balakrishnan Nair in a press release.
