Wan Hai Delivers Fire-Damaged Ship for Recycling
Wan Hai reports that the salvage operation for its vessel Wan Hai 503 has been completed seven months after a container fire killed four seafarers and forced the crew to abandon the vessel. The vessel, which was built in 2005, has now been delivered for recycling.
The container fire had begun on June 9, 2025, while the 4,250 TEU vessel was off the coast of India. There were reports of explosions from the forward part of the vessel, and 18 crewmembers were safely evacuated with the assistance of the Indian Navy and Indian Coast Guard. Six of the crewmembers were hospitalized with injuries, while four were reported missing.
The Indian authorities led the efforts to control the fire, which spread over a majority of the ship forward of the deckhouse and burned for weeks. After the fire was finally extinguished, they sought a port of refuge but were reportedly denied by both India and Sri Lanka. The hulk was instead towed to the UAE, where it finally arrived in mid-September, and after an inspection, was berthed for salvage.
The company reports that a total of 1,696 containers were salvaged from the vessel. Most of them had suffered fire damage except for the ones that had been stowed on the stern of the vessel. Hapag-Lloyd was also sharing the vessel with cargo onboard for its customers.
The salvage operation was slowed by the extent of the debris on the vessel as well as the efforts to remove the firefighting water. The company said as of late December, 11,675 tons of fire water had been removed from the holds.
The clearance operation was completed by late December, with the hulk being towed from the Port of Jebel Ali in Dubai, which had provided the refuge for the salvage operation. As of January 12, the vessel had arrived at the designated berth at Drydock World Dubai and APT Global. Wan Hai notes that APT Global operates in compliance with the highest international standards, and it will handle the recycling of the Wan Hai 503 according to the requirements of the Hong Kong International Convention.
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The company had said the authorities were analyzing the cargo list and other data to ascertain the source of the fire. In its wake, there have been several changes, including India has begun the development of capabilities to be able to provide a port of refuge. The fire on the Wan Hai 503 had come after a Maersk vessel also experienced a box fire off India and ultimately went to the UAE for its port of refuge. Similarly, the X-Press Pearl had sought assistance at several ports, including in India, when the crew discovered leaking containers, which ultimately were blamed for the fire that claimed the newly built containership.
Wan Hai said it extends its sincere gratitude to all relevant authorities, partners, and professional teams for their invaluable support and collaboration throughout the recovery effort.