A container ship, MV Wan Hai 503, owned by Singapore, caught fire on Monday (June 9) about 78 nautical miles off the Beypore coast, Kerala. Indian Navy and Indian Coast Guard promptly initiated a coordinated rescue mission to help the stricken vessel and crew.
Navy, Coast Guard Mobilise Colossal Rescue Operation
It was officially confirmed by the Defence Public Relations Office (PRO), Kochi that after the fire alert, the Indian Navy redirected INS Surat to the area and arranged for a Dornier (DO) sortie from INS Garuda. Concurrently, the Indian Coast Guard sent in a CG Dornier aircraft for rescue and assessment of damage.
The Indian Coast Guard reinforced the mission with five of its ships—Sachet, Arnvesh, Samudra Prahari, Abhinav, and Rajdoot. A C144 plane also participated in the operation. The deployment of the pollution control ship Samudra Prahari shows readiness for any possibility of an oil spill or environmental disaster.
18 Crew Members Abandon Ship, Rescue in Progress
Out of the 22 crew members on board MV Wan Hai 503, 18 were evacuated in a lifeboat. The Indian Coast Guard and Indian Navy are undertaking rescue operations for their safe recovery. There have been no reported casualties till date.
The source of the fire is unknown, and the ship was still burning and drifting at 2 PM. The authorities are closely tracking the incident with efforts still underway to contain the fire and avoid environmental destruction.
