Heroic Battle at Sea: Indian Coast Guard's Fierce Firefight Aboard MV Wan Hai 503

The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) continued its dedicated firefighting efforts aboard the MV WAN HAI 503 on Thursday, despite the challenging sea conditions. An elite team, consisting of one pilot and two aircrew divers, was deployed on an Indian Air Force MI-17 helicopter to conduct aerial firefighting operations.

During the mission, this team effectively dispersed 1,000 kg of Dry Chemical Powder (DCP) directly onto the core of the blaze. To minimize environmental threats near the coast, the ICG is keeping the vessel's position stable using a towline and is vigilantly monitoring the situation.

Even though the exterior fire has been extinguished, dense smoke continues, indicating residual internal heat and a possible metallic fire. Firefighting efforts are ongoing, with all response teams on high alert to ensure complete containment of the fire.

Earlier, on Tuesday, the ICG successfully winched five salvage team members and an aircrew diver onto the burning Singaporean container vessel MV Wan Hai 503 to aid in towing operations. A statement from the Ministry of Defence reported that the fire erupted off the Kerala coast on June 9, and the vessel continues to drift southeast within India's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), around 42 nautical miles from Beypore, Kerala.

The vessel carries a dangerous payload of 1.2 lakh metric tons of fuel and hundreds of containers, including hazardous material, posing substantial marine and regional shipping route risks. The ICG, with five ships, two Dornier aircraft, and a helicopter, aided by two vessels from the Directorate General of Shipping, remains deeply involved in the firefight. A salvage team, appointed by the ship's owners, coordinates efforts with the ICG, while additional aerial support has been requested from the Indian Air Force. Efforts to establish a towline and remove the vessel from the coast continue to avert ecological disaster. The situation, critical as it is, is under constant observation. (ANI)

(With inputs from agencies.)