Firefighting Continues as Flames Spread on Wan Hai Vessel off India
A massive firefighting effort has been launched in an attempt to control the fire which has spread to large portions of Wan Hai 503 drifting approximately 40 nautical miles off the Indian coast. While reporting some progress, the Indian Coast Guard which is leading the effort emphasizes the danger reporting the fire is not contained and explosions persist aboard the vessel.
The first explosion occurred according to the rescued crewmembers around 0930 on Monday morning June 9. It is unclear how much of a firefighting effort could be mounted aboard but by 1230 the crew was advising the Coast Guard that they were abandoning ship into a lifeboat and life raft.
The Indian Navy transferred 18 crewmembers from Wan Hai 503 to shore at the New Mangalore Port. Six were admitted to the hospital with two suffering burns over 30 to 40 percent of their body and serious respiratory burns. Three other crewmembers have been released from the hospital and four remain missing. The Navy and Coast Guard said they were continuing the search for the missing crewmembers.
— Indian Coast Guard (@IndiaCoastGuard) June 10, 2025
A total of five Indian Coast Guard vessels are in the area with two large patrol ships leading the fire fighting effort. They are dousing the fire and are also providing perimeter cooling but according to the reports, efforts were being hampered by monsoonal winds. The winds have pushed the flames nearly the length of the 890-foot (268-meter) vessel with the front of the accommodation block and bridge now showing they are also scorched.
The Coast Guard is saying that the fire is under control on the forward section of the vessel through thick smoke continues to rise from the ship. The fire moved aft with the Coast Guard reporting additional containers were catching fire and exploding. The port authority announced that the manifest it had received indicated there were 157 containers with hazardous materials aboard.
Reports vary on the number of containers that were lost overboard in the initial incident, but there are some indications that additional boxes have gone overboard during the firefight. The authorities are warning they are drifting toward the south and the first debris should reach the coastline within three days.
The vessel has taken on a 10-to-15-degree list which has the authorities concerned that the ship could sink. The vessel is reported to have aboard 100 tons of fuel oil.
The ship is registered in Singapore and the Maritime & Port Authority says it is also providing assistance along with the vessel’s class society. It reports that two additional vessels from the Coast Guard and a private salvage company hired by Wan Hai were due to reach the ship Tuesday evening.