Cargo Ship Fire: Search Continues for Missing Crew Off Kerala Coast

Rescue operations are underway as the Indian Navy and Coast Guard respond to a fire on the MV Wan Hai 503 cargo ship, which left four crew members unaccounted for after an internal explosion occurred near Kerala's coastline.

The Indian Coast Guard is actively working to extinguish a significant fire raging aboard the Singapore-flagged cargo vessel MV Wan Hai 503, which is currently anchored in the Arabian Sea off the southern coast of India. The fire erupted on Monday after an internal container explosion while en route from Colombo, Sri Lanka, to Mumbai, India.

While 18 out of the 22 crew members have been rescued, four remain missing, prompting Singapore to deploy a team to assist in the ongoing search and rescue efforts. The area is experiencing additional concerns due to risks of oil spills and debris, as the Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS) has issued alerts for the Kerala coastline.

Footage captured reveals dense smoke billowing from the ship, with reports indicating that flames and explosions have persisted on board. The rescued crew members were reported to have evacuated the burning vessel before being located by the Indian Navy, with some needing medical attention upon reaching shore.

Among the missing crew members, two hail from Taiwan, while one is from Myanmar and another from Indonesia. Meanwhile, Kerala Ports Minister VN Vasavan confirmed that 50 containers have fallen into the sea, with 100 tonnes of bunker fuel aboard the ship compounding ecological risks. The containers are reportedly drifting towards the coast and could reach Kerala's shores within three days.

This incident marks the second maritime disaster in three weeks off the coast of Kerala, following the sinking of a Liberian-flagged vessel earlier that posed threats to the local environment. In response, the state government had previously imposed a ban on fishing within a 20-nautical mile radius of the last incident, providing compensation to affected fishing communities. As the rescue operations continue, concerns grow not only for the missing sailors but also for the environmental implications of such maritime incidents in the ecologically rich region.