Fire Breaks Out on Singapore-Flagged Container Vessel Off Beypore Coast; 4 Crew Missing, Rescue Ops Underway
New Delhi, 9 June 2025 — A major maritime emergency unfolded off the coast of Beypore on Monday morning after a Singapore-flagged container ship, Wan Hai 503, caught fire following an onboard explosion. The vessel, carrying 22 crew members, was en route from Colombo, Sri Lanka to Nhava Sheva Port in Mumbai when the incident occurred around 88 nautical miles off the Kerala coast.
The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) received the distress alert at approximately 0930 hours and swiftly launched a full-scale rescue and firefighting operation. The explosion, reported to have originated in one of the containers, triggered a rapid spread of flames to adjoining cargo units, forcing the crew to abandon the vessel and take to life rafts.
As of 1240 hours, 18 crew members have been rescued with the help of merchant vessel One Marvel, which was diverted by the ICG’s Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) in Mumbai. One of the rescued crew members has sustained serious injuries and is being provided medical assistance. However, four crew members—identified as two Taiwanese nationals, one Indonesian, and one Myanmarese—remain missing. Aerial search efforts led by an ICG Dornier aircraft are ongoing.
The Wan Hai 503, now adrift in the Arabian Sea, remains engulfed in flames. The ICG has commenced firefighting operations while simultaneously working to identify the vessel’s cargo to assess potential hazards and plan safe containment.
“Saving lives, extinguishing the fire, and mitigating environmental risk are our top priorities,” the Coast Guard stated. The ICG is in constant coordination with the Directorate General of Shipping, the vessel owners, and state authorities to manage the evolving situation.
Further updates are awaited as search and firefighting operations continue.
