Containership Burns Uncontrollably & Lists After Multiple Explosions Off Kerala Coast

The Singapore-flagged container vessel Wan Hai 503 continues to burn off the Kerala coast, more than two days after an explosion.

The ship is now listing to one side, unmanned, and drifting slowly southwards, while Indian authorities act swiftly to control the flames and search for missing crew members.

The fire began on the morning of June 9, about 70 nautical miles west of Beypore, Kerala, and around 44 nautical miles from Azhikkal in Kannur district.

The ship was en route from Colombo to Nhava Sheva, Mumbai, operating on the China–India Express (CIX) service jointly run by Wan Hai, Hapag-Lloyd, Evergreen, and Interasia.

According to Indian Coast Guard officials, the fire started with a blast in one of the containers, and flames quickly spread to the midship section and the container bay located just ahead of the ship’s accommodation area. Explosions are still being reported in that region of the vessel.

Indian Coast Guard vessels Samudra Prahari and Sachet have been continuously engaged in firefighting and boundary cooling efforts. A Coast Guard Dornier aircraft has been conducting aerial surveillance. On Tuesday evening, Indian Navy ship INS Sutlej also joined the response operations.

Although the fire in the forward bay has been brought under control, thick black smoke and toxic fumes are still rising from the rest of the ship, especially from Bay Numbers 2 and 3. The vessel is currently tilting approximately 10 to 15 degrees to the port side.

pic.twitter.com/L44LjIgx3f

— Indian Coast Guard (@IndiaCoastGuard) June 10, 2025

The ship’s crew of 22 abandoned the vessel after the fire broke out. Eighteen members were rescued by the Indian Navy ship INS Surat and were brought ashore at Mangalore Port around 11:30 pm on June 10.

Of the rescued crew, five suffered burn injuries and are being treated onboard Navy facilities. The remaining 13 are staying at a hotel.

Four crew members, including two Taiwanese nationals, one from Myanmar, and one from Indonesia, are still missing. Search and rescue efforts for them are ongoing, with support from the Indian Navy and Coast Guard aircraft and ships.

The vessel was carrying 157 containers filled with hazardous materials, according to a list released by the Directorate General (DG) of Shipping. The list includes flammable liquids and solids, substances prone to spontaneous combustion, and toxic or corrosive chemicals.

Among these, 32.2 tonnes of Nitrocellulose with Alcohol have been identified. However, officials said that the list does not reveal details about any explosives onboard, which are now believed to have caused the initial blast.

A senior official confirmed the presence of explosive materials, which likely caused the fire and led to secondary explosions in nearby containers carrying inflammable substances.

Firefighting efforts are proceeding cautiously. The ship contains nearly 2000 tonnes of fuel oil and 240 tonnes of diesel, stored close to the fire zone. This has raised fears of a larger explosion or an oil spill. To prevent this, the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore has recommended continued boundary cooling around the fuel tanks and affected bays.

The vessel is drifting southward at about one nautical mile per hour. Indian authorities have deployed an Oil Spill Trajectory System to track and predict any potential oil leaks using advanced ocean modeling.

The Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS) has warned that loose containers, debris, or even crew members overboard may drift in a southeast direction over the next few days.

Surveillance aircraft on Tuesday spotted 10 to 15 containers floating at sea, drifting at a speed of 1 to 1.5 knots. These could reach the Kerala coastline between Ernakulam and Thiruvananthapuram by Thursday.

Officials estimate that around 50 containers have already fallen into the sea, and some were destroyed during the explosion. The contents of many of these containers are unknown, making it difficult to assess the full environmental threat.

The DG Shipping reported that the Wan Hai 503 is currently unmanned and adrift, with no structural breaches or water ingress detected yet.

Indian authorities have denied the vessel permission to enter any Indian ports. The ship’s owners have appointed T&T Salvage to handle the salvage operation.

Two tugs with firefighting capabilities, Water Lily and Offshore Warrior, have already been deployed. The team is awaiting the arrival of expert firefighting personnel, and discussions are ongoing about flying in specialists from the UK or the Netherlands.

In the meantime, a maritime investigator from the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore is expected to arrive in Kochi to assist with the probe and coordination.

This is the second major incident reported off the Kerala coast in less than a month. On May 25, the Liberian-flagged container ship MSC Elsa 3 sank near Kochi, spilling oil and washing more than 60 containers onto Kerala’s beaches.

Thirteen of those containers had hazardous cargo. The Indian government launched an environmental emergency, and underwater operations are ongoing to seal the sunken ship’s fuel tanks.

Authorities have confirmed that none of the containers recovered from MSC Elsa 3’s debris so far contained hazardous materials. Cleanup operations are still underway, and more containers are being located and removed from the coastline.

References: worldcargonews, CNN

Source: Maritime Shipping News