An explosion has been reported on board the Singapore-flagged container ship MV Wan Hai 503 off the coast of Kerala, India today (09).
The 270-metre-long vessel, with a draught of 12.5 metres, had left Colombo on June 7 and was en route to Mumbai, expected to arrive on June 10.
The underdeck blast was first reported at around 10.30 am by the Maritime Operations Centre in Mumbai to their counterparts in Kochi.
“On 09 Jun 25, at about 1030 h, MOC (Koc) received information from MOC (Mbi) about a reported underdeck explosion onboard MV Wan Hai 503. The vessel is a Singapore Flag Container ship, 270 m long and draught 12.5m with LPC Colombo,” the Ministry of Defense of India said in a communication.
In response, the Indian Navy diverted INS Surat, which had been scheduled to dock in Kochi, to provide immediate assistance.
The Western Naval Command of India redirected the vessel at 11 am, the Ministry said.
In an update, the Defense Ministry said, “Of the 22 crew, 18 crew have abandoned the ship on boat. Crew being rescued by CG and IN assets. Vessel is presently on fire and adrift.”
A Navy Dornier aircraft sortie is also being planned from the naval air station INS Garuda in Kochi to assess the situation and coordinate support.
- Agencies
