Fire Breaks Out on Singapore-flagged Ship off Kerala Coast, One Injured, Four Missing

Kochi: A major fire broke out on board the Singapore-flagged container ship MV Wan Hai 503, following an explosion inside a container around 09:30 AM on Monday, approximately 88 nautical miles off the coast of Beypore, Kerala. The incident has triggered a massive rescue and firefighting operation by the Indian Coast Guard (ICG).
The 270-metre-long vessel, which had departed Colombo, Sri Lanka on June 6 with 22 crew members, was en route to Nhava Sheva Port, Mumbai, with an expected arrival date of June 9.
"On receipt of the distress alert from the vessel, Indian Coast Guard assets were immediately diverted and began coordinating rescue operations," the ICG said in an official statement.
By 12:40 PM, the fire had spread to multiple containers, prompting the crew to abandon the ship and take refuge in life rafts. The ICG’s Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) in Mumbai diverted nearby merchant vessel MV One Marvel, which successfully rescued 18 crew members. Of them, one crew member sustained serious injuries.
However, four crew members — identified as two Taiwanese nationals, one Indonesian, and one Myanmarese — remain missing. Search operations are ongoing to locate them, with aerial support provided by an ICG Dornier aircraft conducting real-time surveillance over the scene.
The MV Wan Hai 503 is currently adrift, and Indian Coast Guard ships have commenced firefighting operations. Efforts are underway to identify the type of cargo on board, as this will influence how the fire is contained and any hazardous material risks are managed.
The ICG is coordinating with the Directorate General of Shipping, state authorities, and the ship’s owners to execute a comprehensive emergency response. The vessel, being well offshore, currently poses no immediate threat to the coast. However, authorities are closely monitoring its trajectory to ensure it does not drift closer to the shore.
The situation remains dynamic, and further updates will depend on the success of firefighting efforts and ongoing rescue and recovery missions.