India Searches For Missing Crew As Container Ship Explodes
By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent, Worthy News
NEW DELHI (Worthy News) – The Indian Coast Guard was frantically searching for missing crew members after an explosion and subsequent fire were reported onboard a Singapore-flagged container ship off the coast of Kerala in southern India.
Commandant Amit Uniyal said in a statement monitored by Worthy News that of the 22 crew members onboard the MV Wan Hai 503, 18 abandoned the vessel Monday with assistance from the Indian Navy and Coast Guard, while four are missing.
One of the rescued crew members reportedly sustained serious injuries. Uniyal said that two of the four missing are nationals of Taiwan, one from Indonesia, and one from Myanmar.
Soon after, the navy and coast guard launched a search operation for the missing, aided by a Dornier aircraft.
Experts say the navy uses Dornier aircraft primarily for maritime surveillance and search and rescue operations.
Officials confirmed that several ships were also sent to help put out the fire 88 nautical miles (163 kilometers) from the coast of Beypore in Kerala.
“The vessel is presently adrift, and firefighting efforts have commenced to bring the situation under control,” said Unival. “Saving the lives of the crew in distress, firefighting, and mitigating environmental hazards remains the priority for the Coast Guard.”
RISKS INVESTIGATED
He said they were working to establish the details of the ship’s cargo and any potential risks it could cause.
The 890-foot (271 meters) vessel reportedly left the Sri Lankan port of Colombo on June 7 and was set to arrive in Mumbai, India, on Monday.
The Coast Guard received a distress alert from the ship Monday morning reporting “an explosion” and a subsequent fire inside one of the containers onboard. The fire later spread to other containers, according to authorities
The Coast Guard has not yet given the cause of the explosion and fire. The vessel is managed by Singapore-based Wan Hai Lines, according to a statement from Singaporean authorities.
Late last month, a Liberia-flagged MSC ELSA 3 container ship sailing between the Indian ports of Vizhinjam and Kochi sank about 38 nautical miles (70 kilometers) off Kerala state.
All 24 crew members were rescued, India’s defense ministry said at the time.
However, Kerala’s government issued a high alert in its coastal areas and asked fishermen not to venture near the site where the container ship, which carried hazardous cargo, had sunk. It underscored broader concerns about maritime safety in the busy shipping region.
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