In a dramatic mid-sea rescue operation, the Indian Navy and the Mumbai Coast Guard successfully evacuated 18 crew members from the Singapore-flagged cargo vessel MV Wan Hai 503, which caught fire and suffered an explosion off the Kerala coast on June 9. The ship was en route from Colombo to Nhava Sheva port near Mumbai when the incident occurred.
The vessel, measuring 270 meters in length, had departed Colombo, Sri Lanka, on June 7. Of the 22 crew members on board, 14 are Chinese nationals, including six from Taiwan. Four crew members remain unaccounted for.
Following the rescue, the Chinese embassy in India expressed gratitude to Indian authorities. “Our gratitude goes to the Indian Navy and the Mumbai Coast Guard for their prompt and professional rescue,” said Yu Jing, spokesperson for the embassy, in a post on social media platform X. The embassy also conveyed wishes for the success of ongoing search operations and a speedy recovery for the injured.
The fire broke out on Monday morning while the ship was 44 nautical miles off Azhikkal. The Indian Coast Guard responded swiftly, diverting three ships—ICGS Rajdoot from New Mangalore, ICGS Arnvesh from Kochi, and ICGS Sachet from Agatti—to the scene. Two Dornier aircraft were deployed for aerial surveillance, and five ICG vessels, including those equipped for firefighting and pollution control, were mobilised.
INS Surat carried out the evacuation of the injured crew, who were brought to the New Mangalore Port Authority berth at Panambur and later transferred to AJ Hospital in Kuntikana.
According to Coast Guard officials, although the forward bay blaze was brought under control, the vessel was listing 10 to 15 degrees to port, and several containers had fallen overboard. Fires and explosions continued to erupt on parts of the ship, and emergency operations are still ongoing.
