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Navy Carries Out Bold Operation on Flaming Merchant Vessel After Five Days of Inferno

Rescue team descended ship on June 13, contending adverse weather, sea, and onboard blaze, as per Indian Navy announcement, alongside images and footage from the mission.

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Downproof team lowers onto ship on June 13, amidst difficult weather, rough seas, and onboard...
Downproof team lowers onto ship on June 13, amidst difficult weather, rough seas, and onboard blaze, as reported by Indian Navy in a status update, accompanied by images and footage from the mission.

Remember the blazing cargo vessel off the coast of Kerala, India? The fucking fireball, the Singapore-flagged container ship MV Wan Hai 503, has been blazing since June 9. Now, things are starting to heat up again.

India's navy managed to send a goddamn salvage team aboard the distressed vessel on June 13. The operation, conducted amidst brutally challenging weather, raging sea conditions, and flames, was nothing short of heroic.

Their mission accomplished, the vessel has since been towed a safe 40 nautical miles away from the Kerala coastline. Earlier, it was just 27 nautical miles from land, evidence of the successful towing operation.

According to defense sources, the towing operation was initiated by winching down a team of salvagers onto the fire-flecked vessel. They swapped out the tow cables from the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) ships with those from the tugboats.

MV Wan Hai 503: A Smoldering Inferno

The vessel initially ran into trouble about 144 km off the coast of Kerala's southern state, causing concern and chaos. Four crew members were reported missing, and five were injured following an explosion under deck.

MV WAN HAI 503 was traveling from Colombo, Sri Lanka, to Mumbai, India's commercial capital, when the explosion occurred. The ship carried containerized cargo and had 22 crew members, including eight Chinese, six Taiwanese, five Myanmarese, and three Indonesian nationals.

After the explosion and the escalating fire, the crew abandoned ship. The Indian Coast Guard has been deployed for firefighting and rescue operations.

A Tale of Two Cities: The Latest News

Here are the top headlines from the Kerala coast:

  • Local News: Indian Coastguard battles a fierce blaze on a container ship off the Malabar Coast.
  • Global News: The UAE rescues ten sailors after a ship catches fire; no injuries reported.

Stay updated with the latest news by following KT on WhatsApp Channels.

As the flames rage on, our thoughts are with the crew members still missing and the injured souls fighting to recover. Let's see what the future holds for the MV Wan Hai 503.

[1] Nambiar, Anjana (June 13, 2025). "Post Midnight Fire Breaks Out Aboard MV WAN HAI 503." The Times of India.[2] Parthasarathy, N. S. (June 13, 2025). "Four crew members missing in MV Wan Hai 503 container ship fire." Hindustan Times.[3] BJP (June 13, 2025). "Missing: Four crew members of MV Wan Hai 503." Twitter post.[4] Mohan, G.; Panda, S. S. (June 14, 2025). "MV Wan Hai 503: Tugboat takes over towing task as Indian Navy's Seaking helicopter lifts salvage team from cargo ship." The Hindu.[5] Karnik, S. K.; Garg, A. (June 14, 2025). "MV WAN HAI 503: Indian Navy salvage team to board burning ship." CNN News18.

Enrichment Data:

#### Fire Status:- Major fire still burning on MV Wan Hai 503.- Fire approximately 40% under control, with inner decks and forward cargo holds still ablaze.- Authorities are using dry chemical agents, water, and additional fire-fighting foam to manage the fire.

#### Crew and Rescue:- 18 crew members have been rescued and treated for injuries.- Four crew members are still missing, with reports of two missing Taiwanese, one missing Myanmar, and one missing Indonesian crew member.

#### Salvage Efforts:- The vessel has been secured with a towing hawser to prevent it from drifting toward the coastline.- Initial towing was done by the Indian Coast Guard vessel Samudra Prahari, but the task has been handed over to commercial tugboats and the vessel Ocean Warrior to tow it further out to sea.

#### Environmental Concerns:- There are concerns about the environmental impact if the fire spreads to the vessel's fuel or hazardous cargo.- About 24 containers have fallen into the sea, with some possibly still afloat.

  1. Despite efforts to control the fire on MV Wan Hai 503, the major fire continues to burn, with inner decks and forward cargo holds still ablaze.
  2. The ongoing blaze has caused concern for the health and safety of the missing crew members, with four still unaccounted for, including two Taiwanese, one Myanmar, and one Indonesian national.
  3. In an attempt to manage the fire, dry chemical agents, water, and additional fire-fighting foam are being used, with the vessel's crew and the Indian Coast Guard working together on the rescue and firefighting operations.
  4. As part of salvage efforts, the vessel has been secured with a towing hawser to prevent it from drifting towards the coastline, with initial towing being done by the Indian Coast Guard vessel Samudra Prahari and subsequent towing being handed over to commercial tugboats and the vessel Ocean Warrior to tow it further out to sea.
  5. Meanwhile, global news reports show the UAE rescuing ten sailors after a ship caught fire, with no injuries reported, marking a stark contrast to the ongoing crisis off the Kerala coast.

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