Kochi: After a tense 72-hour battle at sea, the massive fire on board Singapore-flagged container ship MV Wan Hai 503 has finally been brought under control.
The blaze, which erupted after a blast in one of the containers, had raged since Sunday, June 10, threatening a major environmental disaster and putting the lives of crew and responders at serious risk.
Have a look at some visuals from the scene:
Coast Guard’s Daring Operation Amid Rough Seas
On Wednesday, June 11, a coordinated effort by the Indian Coast Guard and salvage teams managed to contain the flames on deck, though thick smoke continues to rise from the cargo hold. In a high-risk manoeuvre, a Coast Guard helicopter winched down five salvage crew members and an aircrew diver onto the burning vessel at around 3:00 PM, despite rough sea conditions.
A towline was secured to begin the process of shifting the stricken vessel to deeper waters once the fire is fully extinguished. An Mi helicopter from the Indian Air Force is expected to deploy dry chemical powder on Thursday morning to assist the final containment.
“The fire on deck has been contained but dark smoke is billowing from the vessel. There is fire inside the cargo hold,” a Coast Guard officer said.
Threat to Marine Environment & Missing Containers
The Wan Hai 503 was carrying 1,754 containers, 1,083 in the cargo hold and 671 on deck, including 143 with dangerous cargo such as flammable liquids, toxic chemicals, and substances that emit flammable gases. The ship was also loaded with over 1.22 lakh tonnes of fuel, raising alarm over possible marine contamination.
Authorities confirmed that an unspecified number of containers have fallen into the sea. Experts fear retrieval is impossible due to the ocean depth exceeding 1,000 metres.
Currently, five Coast Guard ships, two Dornier aircraft, a helicopter, and additional vessels from the DG Shipping are engaged in firefighting, cooling operations, and the search for four missing crew members. Tug Saroja Blessing is en route with an additional 1,000 kg of foam compound.
Firefighting specialists from Spain, the UK, and the Netherlands are also being readied for deployment pending visa clearance. The vessel, drifting at a speed of one knot, remains 65 nautical miles off Beypore coast.
Authorities are also speaking with the 16 surviving crew members housed in New Mangaluru and investigating the incident in coordination with Singapore’s Maritime Port Authority.
