Cargo Ship Fire: Four crew members are missing and five others injured after a fire broke out on a Singapore-flagged container ship off the coast of Kochi in Kerala on Sunday morning. The blaze was reported under the deck of MV Wan Hai 503, a 270-meter-long vessel carrying containerised cargo from Colombo to Nhava Sheva. The ship was reportedly sailing with a crew of 22 when the incident occurred around 10.30 a.m., according to the Indian Coast Guard.
According to the reports, the Maritime Operations Centre in Mumbai first received the alert and passed the information to its Kochi unit. Indian Coast Guard ships Rajdoot from New Mangalore, Arnvesh from Kochi and Sachet from Agatti have been diverted for search and rescue operations.
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A Defence PRO said 18 crew members have abandoned the ship and are being rescued by assets of the Indian Navy and Coast Guard. According to the reports, the vessel is presently on fire and adrift
Earlier reports had mentioned an explosion. However, officials later clarified that it was a fire under the deck that triggered the emergency.
The Indian Navy has diverted INS Surat, which was scheduled to arrive in Kochi, to provide immediate assistance. The Western Naval Command redirected the ship at 11 a.m., a Navy spokesperson said. Additionally, a Navy Dornier aircraft sortie from INS Garuda in Kochi is being planned to assess the situation and support ongoing rescue efforts.
The MV Wan Hai 503 departed from Colombo on June 7 and was scheduled to reach Mumbai on June 10.
(With Inputs From Agencies)