Singapore Vessel on Fire Towed Further Out to Sea as Firefighting Efforts Continue

Kochi: The Singapore-flagged cargo vessel MV Wan Hai 503, which caught fire earlier this week off the Kerala coast while en route to Mumbai from Colombo, was towed further away from the shore on Saturday morning, defence sources said.
The vessel has now been moved to a distance of 40 nautical miles from the coastline. Previously, it was located 27 nautical miles away, officials confirmed.
According to a defence statement, the towing operation was initiated with the help of a Seaking helicopter from the Southern Naval Command, which winched down salvors to shift the tow cables from Indian Coast Guard (ICG) ships to the tug vessels.
“The towing operations have commenced. Due to heavy weather, towing speed is restricted to 1.5 knots,” the statement noted.
ICG ships Saksham, Samarth, and Vikram, along with Indian Navy ship INS Sharda and offshore support vessel Triton Liberty, are escorting the operation. Towing is being undertaken by tugs Offshore Warrior, Garnett, and Water Lily. “Firefighting operations are ongoing,” the defence statement added on social media platform X.
The fire reportedly began after an explosion in one of the containers aboard the vessel. On Thursday, the Directorate General of Shipping had stated that 40 per cent of the fire had been brought under control.
Of the 22 crew members on board, 18 have been rescued, while four remain missing.