Fire-Stricken Ship Wan Hai 503 Remains Stranded At Sea With No Port Of Refuge

Over a month has passed since a deadly explosion and fire broke out aboard the Singapore-registered container ship Wan Hai 503 off the coast of Kerala, but the vessel remains stranded at sea with no confirmed port of refuge.

The fire started on 9 June, about 130 nautical miles northwest of Kochi, India. The incident claimed the lives of four crew members. So far, two bodies have been recovered. One body found ashore in Kerala was later confirmed not to belong to any of the missing crew.

Indian authorities have refused to allow the vessel to enter a port. The Directorate of Shipping instructed the ship to be towed away from the Indian coast and beyond the country’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). Since then, the container ship has been drifting under tow outside Indian waters.

pic.twitter.com/8hjgBrkzv7

— Indian Coast Guard (@IndiaCoastGuard) June 9, 2025

The fire severely damaged the vessel, burning through almost all the cargo bays in front of the deckhouse. Even now, smouldering continues inside the ship. According to Indian authorities, cargo Bays 33 to 37 are still releasing small amounts of grey smoke. Although the fire is under control, it has not been fully extinguished, even after 39 days.

Temperature readings inside the cargo holds show that cooling is happening, but the situation is still being monitored closely.

The salvage company T&T Salvage has been working continuously to stabilise the vessel. Over the past few weeks, the team has made progress in dewatering the ship. Holds 2 and 3 have been dried, and flooding in the engine room has been reduced to less than a meter of water in the bilge.

The ship’s trim, list, and draft have also been brought closer to normal. However, containers filled with firefighting water are now adding more weight than a normal cargo load, affecting the balance.

Due to high waves and rough sea conditions, six members of the salvage team are currently staying onboard the damaged vessel because it is too dangerous to transfer them off the ship.

In a daring operation, #IndianNavy successfully undertook aerial insertion of the salvage team onboard distressed vessel MV Wan Hai 503, which has been on fire since #09Jun 25.
The salvage team, which embarked the Seaking helicopter at @IN_Garuda, #Kochi, was winched down the… https://t.co/rgtMmptxnq pic.twitter.com/1uXGJmSduQ

— SpokespersonNavy (@indiannavy) June 14, 2025

No port has agreed to accept the vessel so far. Sri Lanka is the preferred option, with the China Merchants-run Hambantota Port reportedly agreeing to allow the ship to berth. However, Sri Lankan authorities are worried the vessel may sink in their waters, recalling the 2021 X-Press Pearl incident.

In that case, a fire-damaged container ship exploded and sank off Sri Lanka’s coast, causing heavy pollution. Legal issues from that disaster are still ongoing, and the ship’s Russian captain has still not been allowed to leave the country.

If Sri Lanka refuses port entry, other options in the region are limited. On 11 July, India’s Directorate of Shipping issued an update through the Kerala State Disaster Management Authority, stating that a decision must be made soon, either to allow the ship to enter a port or move it to a safer, more secure zone beyond the EEZ.

The salvage team is also working to resolve remaining safety issues before a port entry can happen. One concern is the presence of hydrogen sulfide gas in Hold 7. The gas levels are high enough to prevent workers from entering that section without proper ventilation.

So far, there have been no signs of oil leakage from the vessel, which is a key concern for any port. Officials believe that about 2,400 tonnes of fuel oil is still on board, although a full check of the bunker tanks is not yet completed.

Before the ship can enter any port, a full check of its structural strength and stability must be carried out, including its post-fire condition. Once these checks are done and the ship is declared safe, final preparations for port entry will be made.

Reference: worldports

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