The MV Wan Hai 503 has been burning for three days off the coast of Kerala. Indian authorities, trying to contain the fire, fear a “potential ecological disaster.”
The Indian Coast Guard stated Wednesday evening that it is doing everything possible to prevent a “potential ecological disaster” off the southwestern state of Kerala, where a container ship carrying “hazardous cargo” has been engulfed in a fierce fire for three days.
The 268-meter vessel flying the Singapore flag, MV Wan Hai 503, caught fire on Monday about 78 nautical miles from the Indian port of Beypore. It had 22 crew members on board, four of whom are missing. Photos released Monday by the Indian Coast Guard showed huge containers apparently thrown across the ship by a powerful onboard explosion. Since then, the entire ship has been ravaged by fire.
“The vessel is carrying 2,128 tons of fuel and hundreds of containers, including hazardous materials, posing a serious risk to the marine environment and regional shipping routes,” the Coast Guard said in a statement. They did not specify the cargo contents but emphasized that “the situation remains critical.”
Four of the 22 crew members remain missing: two Taiwanese, one Indonesian, and one Burmese. The other 18 were rescued by the Indian Navy and Coast Guard. The latter also reported Wednesday that “five rescuers and one diver” had been “airlifted onto the burning ship.”
Second Incident in a Few Weeks
“Although the fire is not yet fully extinguished, efforts are underway to install a towing cable to move the ship away from the coast and prevent a potential ecological catastrophe,” they said.
The parts of the container ship near the fuel tanks continued to be engulfed in flames, according to the same source. Seven ships, aircraft, and a helicopter have been mobilized to try to extinguish the fire.
This is the second container ship to encounter problems off the Kerala coast in a few weeks. At the end of May, a Liberian-flagged container ship carrying hazardous cargo sank. The Indian Navy rescued all 24 crew members.
