Blaze, explosions continue to rock Singapore-flagged ship, authorities issue oil spill advisory

Kochi: 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.

Dinesh Kadam, Plastic Surgeon at AJ Hospital said, "Around 11.30 pm, six of them were bought by the Coast Guard. They were all on the ship. They had not jumped into water as it was reported. They were all in the vessel and were rescued from lifeboat by the Coast Guard." "Out of the six, two are critically injured. One has 40 per cent burns and another 30 per cent. The one who sustained 40 per cent burns is a 47-year-old male, a Chinese national. He is an engineer. He sustained burns on the face, upper and lower limbs. They both have airway burns that is much more serious. Airway burns is one thing which is likely to worsen in next few hours or few days," he said.

According to the doctor, both of them also have deep burns so they may probably require some surgical procedures later.

"Right now, they are stable. They are conscious, they are able to speak and take some liquids also. Their vitals are okay but they are being closely monitored in the ICU."

Giving details of the condition of four others, he said one of them was in the observation room. He had deep facial burns but was conscious, oriented and taking food orally.

"The other three are ok. They are quite cheerful. They don't have much burn injuries but they have impacts as well. Some have cut injuries, tooth loss....there was a leak of chemical substance also because one of them (patient) said that he touched some liquid which was flowing out and sustained burns. But those are minor burns," he added.

With four persons still unaccounted for, search and rescue operations were on to locate them.

The ship caught fire at approximately 9.20 am IST on Monday, around 44 nautical miles off Azhikkal in Kannur district of Kerala and 130 nautical miles northwest of Kochi.