Incident Overview
An explosion followed by a fire occurred onboard the Singapore-flagged container vessel, MV Wan Hai 503, off the coast of Kerala, southern India, on Monday. The incident was confirmed by an Indian Coastguard spokesperson, Commandant Amit Uniyal.
Rescue Operations
Of the 22 crew members aboard, 18 were successfully evacuated with the assistance of the Indian Navy and Coastguard. Four crew members remain unaccounted for: two Taiwanese nationals, one Indonesian, and one from Myanmar. A search operation for the missing is underway, utilizing a Dornier aircraft, primarily used for maritime surveillance and rescue missions.
Unfortunately, one of the rescued crew members has suffered severe injuries.
Firefighting Efforts
The vessel, currently adrift about 88 nautical miles (162 km) from Beypore in Kerala, is the focus of ongoing firefighting operations. Multiple ships have been dispatched to assist in extinguishing the fire. The top priority remains the safety of the crew, firefighting, and minimizing environmental hazards, as stated by Commandant Uniyal.
The authorities are working to ascertain the ship’s cargo details and the potential risks associated with it.
Vessel Information
The 271-meter-long vessel departed from Colombo, Sri Lanka, on 7 June and was scheduled to arrive in Mumbai on Monday. A distress signal was received by the Coastguard on Monday morning, reporting the explosion and subsequent fire in one of the containers, which later spread to others.
Management and Recent Incidents
The vessel is managed by Singapore-based Wan Hai Lines, as per a statement from Singaporean authorities. Recently, a similar incident occurred where a Liberia-flagged container ship sank off the coast of Kerala, prompting the state government to issue a high alert and advise fishermen to avoid the area due to hazardous cargo.
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