WAN HAI 503

General information

Course/Position

Latest news

Adverse weather conditions continued to haper salvage work - criminial inquiry against crew opened

As of June 17 at 6 p.m., the 'Wan Hai 503' was positioned in pos. 10°03.64'N, 075°00.41'E, approximately 68.5 nautical miles off the Kerala coast, maintaining a slow north westward drift on course 250° at 1.0 knots. The vessel remained connected via a single towline to the tug 'Offshore Warrior', which continued to maintain its offshore position. The weather at the site remained adverse, with Lat. 10°03.64'N, Long. 075°00.41'E 68.5 nm from Kerala coast westerly winds between 29–34 knots, gusting up to 39 knots, intermittent heavy rainfall, and periods of zero visibility, all of which were significantly impeding firefighting and boarding operations. The condition of the fire onboard continued to show incremental improvement. Grey smoke was still observed in the midship area near Frame 113 (Bay 14) and at Frame 37–39, indicating persistent heat concentration. Light white smoke was intermittently visible forward of the accommodation block at Bay 50 on the starboard side. No naked flames have been reported in the accommodation or aft sections. Boundary cooling was being effectively maintained on the deck, and internal compartments were being monitored through thermal imaging. The vessel remained stable, although the structural condition, particularly in high-heat-exposed zones, remained under close evaluation by the salvage team. Firefighting and boundary cooling efforts continued in rotation with the support of the tugs 'Boka Winger', 'Garnet', 'Saksham' and 'Water Lily', each targeting identified risk zones across the vessel, with emphasis on the midship and forward areas. The operational plan involveed the continuation of this rotation, ensuring uninterrupted cooling and containment. The tug ‘Boka Winger’ was conducting fifi operation. The 'Offshore Warrior' remained in command of towing and was also receiving bunkering support from the Indian Coast Guard to sustain operations, though the bunkering operations to further replenish the vessel were not successful owing to adverse weather conditions. While the 'Triton Liberty' has been released for redeployment by the Indian Navy, the 'Saroja Blessing', which returned to port for engine repairs, was expected to be operational by midnight and may be tasked with laying a second towline, subject to prevailing conditions. Additional international salvage personnel including Dutch, Filipino, and Indian, were scheduled to board, along with specialised firefighting resources and equipment, including SCBAs and thermal cameras. MERC and SpillTech were now jointly managing the shoreline response mechanism, operating a 24x7 unit for container recovery and HAZMAT handling. The coordination for the mobilisation and visa facilitation of SpillTech’s experts was ongoing. Environmental support continued through ITOPF, and efforts were underway to assess and expedite high-capacity salvage tugs from regional hubs, including Sri Lanka and Singapore. Contingency discussions for a Port of Refuge continued, with Jebel Ali under primary consideration, subject to complete fire suppression, structural integrity assessments, and regulatory permissions. Alternatives in Bahrain, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, and Qatar were also under review. The identification of a body reportedly washed ashore near the Kerala coast is currently under verification, with support from the local authorities. The Directorate General of Shipping continued to lead the real-time coordination of all stakeholders, with regular operational briefings being submitted to the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways and reviewed at the highest levels of government. Efforts remained focused on fire suppression, structural safety, and safe relocation of the vessel out of Indian waters under controlled tow. The Indian authorities have opened a criminal inquiry against the master and crew of the 'Wan Hai 503', They have determined that the fire was likely caused by a misdeclared cargo of explosives. Misdeclaration occurs during the landside segment of the logistics process, before the container arrives at the quay and is loaded aboard the ship. The Fort Kochi Police have received a First Information Report (initial criminal allegation) against the vessel and the surviving crew members, alleging that they were responsible for the cargo fire that left four shipmates missing. The charges were comprehensive, including negligent navigation; obstructing lines of navigation; negligent handling toxic substances; negligent handling of flammable materials; and endangering human life by using explosives. An additional conspiracy charge applied to the crew's allegedly unified actions. The crew had abandoned the vessel immediately after the explosion. The decision to leave the ship was suspicious. No charges have been announced yet against any shoreside entities in connection with the alleged misdeclaration of the cargo. However, Nhava Sheva port officials were looking into whether a shipping agency may have booked explosives as general cargo.

Suspected body of crew member washed ashore

The body of a man, suspected to be one of the missing crew members from the 'Wan Hai 503', washed ashore near Arthunkal beach in Alappuzha district, Kerala, at around 6.30 am on June 17. The body was partially decomposed, making identification quite difficult. There were no visible injuries on the body, and it appeared to be a case of drowning. The inquest has not been conducted yet. The ' Wan Hai 503' was held 53 nautical miles west of Kochi and rolling in heavy seas. An STS transfer from the 'Offshore Warrior' thus failed, but the towing line did not break.

Fire flared up again, and list increased

Containers that fell overboard from the 'Wan Hai 503' were likely to wash ashore on the Ernakulam, Alappuzha and Kollam coasts between June 16 and June 18, the Kerala State Disaster Management Authority (KSDMA) is announced on June 14, citing the Indian Coast Guard and the International Tanker Owners Pollution Federation Limited (ITOPF). The public have been advised to stay away from any suspicious object found on the coast. Coastal areas in Alappuzha, Kerala, were on alert after a lifeboat from the 'Wan Hai 503' washed ashore at Paravur in Punnapra North grama panchayat on June 15, at around 9 p.m. Resudebts immediately informed the police and the District Disaster Management Authority. It was later shifted to a safe location. The lifeboat has ‘Wan Hai 503 Singapore’ written on it. The ship was towed 45 nautical miles away from Azhikkal coast in Kannur on the evening of June 14. The ship had drifted 17 miles off the coast before. The ship was pulled beyond the 1,000-metre sounding line by the 'Offshore Warrior'. The Coast Guard ship 'Saksham' was fuelling the tug so that it could continue to operate without disruption. THE 'Vikram' and 'Samarth', along with IN Ship Sharda, tug 'Water Lily', 'Triton Liberty' and 'Garnett' continued to take turns for boundary cooling. Due to heavy weather, towing speed was restricted to 1.5 knots to get the ship as far as 50 miles off the coast. However, due to the rough sea, several more containers fell overboard on the starboard side, causing the list to increase to port. The 'Offshore Warrior' also proved to be insufficiently strong to tow the ship further offshore under these conditions. Although the fire on board was largely contained on June 13 after the ‘air-fighting operation’ and was extinguished on June 14 except for a few isolated fires, it flared up again due to strong monsoon winds. The ndian authorities were planning to deploy more firefighters.