Kochi/Mangaluru: As fire continued to rage on and explosions rocked the Singapore-flagged ship off the Kerala coast on Tuesday, authorities issued an oil spill advisory while a Chinese engineer rescued from the burning vessel suffered critical injuries.
While 18 crew members were recovered from MV Wan Hai 503 and brought to Mangaluru late on Monday, four remain unaccounted for.
Port workers described emotional scenes as the injured disembarked — some helped by fellow crewmates, others in stretchers, whispering prayers of gratitude or anxiously inquiring about their missing colleagues.
The vessel caught fire on Monday, and more than 24 hours later, flames were reported from the mid-ship area and container bay just ahead of the accommodation block, Indian Coast Guard officials said.
The forward bay fire has been brought under control, but thick smoke continues to rise from the vessel. The ship is listing approximately 10 to 15 degrees to port, and more containers have reportedly fallen overboard, they said.
ICG ships Samudra Prahari and Sachet are carrying out firefighting and boundary cooling operations at sea to prevent the flames from spreading further.
Meanwhile, Coast Guard vessel Samarth, carrying a team of salvors, is being deployed from Kochi to support ongoing efforts.
An ICG Dornier aircraft conducted an aerial survey of the incident site.
The major fire broke out on board the Singapore-flagged ship after a container explosion.
Following the incident, the Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS) issued advisories warning of drifting containers and a potential oil spill.
The ship, which was en route to Nhava Sheva, Mumbai from Colombo, experienced an explosion in one of its containers, sparking a massive onboard fire while sailing roughly 70 nautical miles off Kozhikode. The vessel is currently adrift.
In response, INCOIS activated its Search and Rescue Aid Tool (SARAT) to track possible drift patterns of containers, debris, or people who may have gone overboard.
According to the latest simulations, there is a 70–80 per cent probability that drifting objects may move south-southeastward from the incident site over the next three days.
“Simulations show that the containers are likely to continue to drift in the ocean for the next three days and might take longer to reach the beach. However, caution is advised about a few containers beaching between Kozhikode and Kochi. The situation is closely monitored and updated drift directions will be provided,” INCOIS said in a statement.
Local authorities have been urged to step up coastal surveillance and prepare communities for possible navigational or shoreline hazards, it said.
Earlier, 18 crew members were rescued from the blaze-hit container ship and safely brought to the New Mangalore Port Authority (NMPA) Coast Guard berth at Panambur by Indian Naval Ship INS Surat.
Among the rescued, two are said to be in critical condition, while four sustained minor injuries. Twelve others suffered varying levels of trauma.
The injured were evacuated and transported to AJ Hospital in Kuntikana late on Monday night. With four persons still unaccounted for, search and rescue operations were on to locate them.