Firefighting milestone achieved in MV Wan Hai 503 incident: Indian Forces avert maritime disaster

New Delhi:  In a breakthrough in the ongoing firefighting and salvage operation aboard MV Wan Hai 503, Indian maritime forces have successfully initiated the towing of the vessel away from the Indian coastline near Kerala, marking a critical step in preventing a large-scale marine environmental disaster.

The operation, jointly coordinated by the Indian Coast Guard (ICG), Indian Navy, and Indian Air Force, overcame formidable challenges including hostile weather and the persistent onboard blaze. The fire, which broke out earlier this week aboard the Singapore-flagged container ship, posed a significant threat due to the ship’s proximity to the Kerala coast.

“A major breakthrough in salvage Ops as tow was transferred from the Indian Coast Guard to tug Offshore Warrior on 13 Jun 25. Despite hostile weather, the Indian Navy’s Sea King helo winched salvors onto the vessel 20 NM off Kochi. Three Coast Guard Ships are escorting the vessel and continuing essential firefighting efforts. Now the vessel is 35 NM off the coast, fire is nearly out, only thick smoke & hotspots remain,” the Indian Coast Guard said in a post on X on Saturday.

“Indian Coast Guard, Indian Navy, and Indian Air Force are working in synergy to prevent environmental disaster. The vessel will be held 50+ NM from the coast till further decision. A stellar example of maritime coordination & rapid response”, it added.

On June 13, a salvage milestone was achieved when the tow line was successfully shifted from Indian Coast Guard vessels to the salvage Tug Offshore Warrior, enabling the towing operation to commence.

After the connection of the tow, the salvage team was successfully extracted by the Naval helicopter from the vessel. The towing operations of the vessel have commenced.

Presently, the Indian Navy’s INS Sharda and OSV MV Triton Liberty are actively engaged in the salvage operations in coordination with the Indian Coast Guard and other maritime agencies. This swift insertion & extraction of the salvage team by the Indian Navy has significantly reinforced the rescue efforts.

–IANS