Vessel Fire Off Kochi: 5-Agency Panel To Investigate Singapore-Flagged Ship Incident

On June 9, a Singapore-flagged cargo vessel, WAN HAI 503, caught fire approximately 70 nautical miles off the Kerala coast.

(Photo courtesy Indian Coast Guard)

A day after a fire broke out on the upper deck of the Singapore-flagged container vessel, a multi-agency team has been set up to investigate the incident. 

This multi-agency team will include officials from the DG Shipping Department, Coast Guard, Port, Customs and Kerala Police, as per sources.

According to sources, this multi-agency team will investigate why the fire broke out so suddenly on the ship, which damaged more than 1000 containers loaded on the ship.

The help of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) can also be taken in the coming days for the investigation, the source added. 

So far, four crew members are missing in this accident while 22 have been rescued. According to the information received so far in this accident, 1015 containers have fallen from the ship, which contain dangerous chemicals, which can be fatal if spread.

This is the second incident of a cargo ship accident on the Kerala coast in 2 months. This high-level team will also investigate this aspect.

On June 9, the Singapore-flagged cargo vessel, WAN HAI 503, caught fire approximately 70 nautical miles off the Kerala coast.

Indian Coast Guard units were promptly diverted to assess the situation and provide assistance following the report of the incident. Subsequently, the Indian Navy, in coordination with the Indian Coast Guard and other agencies, successfully rescued 18 crew members from the container ship.

Chinese Embassy in India spokesperson Yu Jing on Tuesday expressed gratitude to the Indian Navy and the Mumbai Coast Guard for rescuing its crew members from the container ship.

"On June 9, MV Wan Hai 503 encountered onboard explosion and fire 44 nautical miles off Azhikkal, Kerala. Of the total 22 crew members on board, 14 are Chinese, including 6 from Taiwan. Our gratitude goes to the Indian Navy @indiannavy and the Mumbai Coast Guard for their prompt and professional rescue. We wish further search operations successful and the injured crew members speedy recovery," Yu Jing posted on X.