Fire erupts on Singapore cargo ship near Kerala Coast¡ªIndian Navy scrambles INS Surat, launches emergency air mission
A fire broke out on the Singapore-flagged container ship MV Wan Hai 503 off the Kerala coast. The Indian Navy responded quickly by diverting INS Surat and planning an aerial survey to assess the situation. The vessel was en route to Mumbai from Colombo.
A fire was reported on board the Singapore-flagged container ship MV Wan Hai 503 off the Kerala coast on Monday. Initially believed to be an explosion, officials later confirmed it as an underdeck fire. According to a statement from the Defence Public Relations Officer, the incident was reported at around 10:30 am.
The alert came from the Maritime Operations Centre (MOC) in Mumbai, which relayed the information to its Kochi counterpart. The ship, which is 270 metres long with a draught of 12.5 metres, had departed Colombo on June 7 and was expected to reach Mumbai by June 10.
Indian Navy diverts INS Surat for emergency response
In response to the fire, the Indian Navy redirected INS Surat, which had been scheduled to dock in Kochi, to provide immediate assistance. The Western Naval Command issued the redirection order at approximately 11 am, less than an hour after the fire was reported.
A Navy spokesperson said, ¡°On June 9, 2025, at about 1030 hours, MOC (Kochi) received information from MOC (Mumbai) about a reported underdeck fire onboard MV Wan Hai 503. The vessel departed Colombo on June 7 and is headed to Mumbai, due on June 10.¡±
? On 09 Jun 25, fire incident reported onboard Singapore-flagged container vessel MV Wan Hai 503 , 78 NM off #Beypore.?? @indiannavy diverted INS Surat & planned DO sortie from #INSGaruda.?? @IndiaCoastGuard deployed multiple assets including CG Dornier for rescue &¡ pic.twitter.com/rf7n6gfLA6
¡ª PRO Defence Kochi (@DefencePROkochi) June 9, 2025
Aerial assessment being planned by Navy from Kochi base
To further assess the situation and support coordination, the Indian Navy is also preparing a Dornier aircraft sortie. The aircraft will take off from the naval air station INS Garuda in Kochi. The aerial reconnaissance will help determine the extent of the fire and the support required.
The Defence PRO confirmed that the safety of the crew and the vessel's condition is currently under monitoring, with naval units actively coordinating the response. More updates are expected as aerial and naval assessments proceed.
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Nancy Jaiswal is a journalist who started her career in reporting and has covered both hard and soft news. From serious city news developments to lighthearted lifestyle pieces, she has written on almost everything hapenning in India (except maybe alien invasions¡ªyet!). For her, writing isn¡¯t just work; it¡¯s a passion, an obsession, and sometimes the reason she forgets to reply to texts.
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