- Singapore-flagged cargo ship on fire towed farther away from coastline
- ICG Ships Saksham, Samarth, Vikram, and IN Ship Sharda, OSV Triton Liberty are escorting the towing vessels
NE NEWS SERVICE
KOCHI, JUNE 14
The Indian Navy and Indian Coast Guard (ICG) successfully enabled the towing of the fire-stricken Singapore-flagged container vessel MV Wan Hai 503, in a major milestone in ongoing efforts to control the blaze and protect the marine environment, on Saturday morning, Defence sources said.
The Singapore-flagged container ship MV Wan Hai 503 has caught fire in the Arabian Sea, about 42 nautical miles off the coast of Beypore in Kerala.
The vessel — MV Wan Hai 503 — has been towed 40 nautical miles away from land. Earlier, the ship was 27 nautical miles from land, they said. According to a defence statement, the towing operation was initiated with a Seaking helicopter from the Southern Naval Command winching down salvors to shift the tow cables from the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) ships to the tug vessels.
This shift was essential as ICG vessels have limited bollard pull — a term denoting the towing capacity of a ship — and while they were able to keep the MV Wan Hai 503 away from the coast, strong winds caused it to drift rapidly towards shore, the statement said.
Subsequently, despite the adverse weather, the salvage team was winched onboard the vessel and a tow rope from it was connected to the tug vessels. “The towing operations have commenced. Due to heavy weather, towing speed is restricted to 1.5 knots,” it said.
“ICG Ships Saksham, Samarth, Vikram, and IN Ship Sharda, OSV Triton Liberty are escorting the towing vessels. Towing is being undertaken by Tug Offshore Warrior, Garnett and Water Lily,” a defence statement, on social media platform X, said.
“Major milestone in the ongoing operation to suppress the fire onboard MV Wah Hai 503 and protect the marine environment! India Coast Guard ships undertaking firefighting operations enabled the tow connection of the Salvage vessel in an extremely challenging and daunting operation,” Indian Coast Guard said on X.
“HQSNC tasked the Indian Navy helicopter to winch down salvors who shifted the tow from ICG ships to Salvage Tugs. The tow has now commenced, and the vessel is being pulled to keep away from our coast! ICG fire fighting operation continues,” it added.
“Firefighting operation continues,” it added. It further said that the ICG was closely coordinating with the Directorate General of Shipping to ensure the vessel remains at least 50 nautical miles from the Indian coastline until a suitable fate is decided by the owners of the vessel, in line with internationally accepted practices.
“This marks a major stride in mitigating a hazardous situation and safeguarding our coastal environment. The situation is expected to further stabilise with the anticipated arrival of additional firefighting tugs to support the ongoing operation.
“The Indian Coast Guard remains ever-prepared to respond to such contingencies and continues to work in close synergy with sister services, state authorities, regulatory agencies, and private salvors to ensure the safety of life, property, and the marine ecosystem,” the statement said.
