A potential maritime catastrophe was averted off the Kerala coast after a cargo vessel carrying hazardous materials caught fire and began drifting dangerously close to shore. The Singapore-flagged ship, MV Wan Hai 503, was hit by an explosion in one of its containers on 9 June while sailing from Colombo to Mumbai. Carrying over 2,000 tonnes of fuel and hundreds of containers including some with dangerous cargo, the vessel posed a serious risk to marine life and coastal safety.

In response, the Indian Navy, Coast Guard, and Air Force launched a joint emergency operation under extreme weather conditions. A Navy Sea King helicopter from Kochi braved high winds and turbulent seas to insert a salvage team onto the burning vessel nearly 20 nautical miles from the coast. The team succeeded in attaching a 600-metre tow rope to the ocean-going tug Offshore Warrior, enabling the ship to be pulled westward away from the coastline. The operation was further supported by naval ship INS Sharda, the offshore supply vessel Triton Liberty, and three Coast Guard patrol vessels, which have continued dousing lingering fire hotspots.

All 22 crew members including Chinese, Taiwanese, Myanmarese, and Indonesian nationals were safely evacuated soon after the explosion. Though 10 to 15 containers fell into the sea during the incident, authorities have confirmed that only smoke and minor hotspots remain onboard. With the vessel now stabilised 35 nautical miles from shore and being closely monitored, maritime agencies have ensured it remains at a safe distance pending decisions by the ship’s owners. The incident has highlighted the rapid response and coordination capabilities of India’s maritime forces in safeguarding both human life and the marine environment.