Update on the explosion ship of WHL

Singapore container ship "Wan Hai 503" suffers explosion off Kerala coast, 18 crew rescued by Navy and Coast Guard on 09 Jun, 25.

In a statement released on Tuesday, the Maritime and Port Authority (MPA) reported: “The 18 crew members who were previously rescued have safely arrived at New Mangalore Port. Six injured crew members have been transferred to a shore-based medical facility. Three of them have since been discharged.”

According to a report by News9 in India, the injured crew members include three Chinese nationals, two Myanmar nationals, and one Indonesian national. The two critically injured individuals, admitted to AJ Hospital in Mangaluru, suffered burns covering 35% to 40% of their bodies.

As of 20:30 Singapore time on June 9, three vessels from India’s Coast Guard and Navy were deployed to support Search and Rescue (SAR) operations, with assistance from aircraft. Two additional firefighting vessels were scheduled to arrive on Tuesday evening.

"On 09 Jun 25, at about 1030 h, MOC (Koc) received information from MOC (Mbi) about a reported underdeck explosion onboard MV Wan Hai 503. The vessel is a Singapore-flagged container ship, 270 m long and draught 12.5 m with last port of call Colombo," the Defence PRO said in a statement.

Following the report, the Indian Navy swiftly diverted INS Surat, a frontline warship originally scheduled to dock in Kochi, to the site to offer immediate assistance. The diversion was ordered by the Western Naval Command at 11 am.

Simon Wong, Singapore’s High Commissioner to India, expressed his “deep gratitude” to “our Indian counterparts” for their swift and professional response to this major incident.

Images from the stricken vessel indicate that the fire has spread from the forward bay to the central bays and cargo holds ahead of the accommodation block. The Coast Guard confirmed that explosions are still occurring as the fire spreads along the vessel, although the original fire in the forward bay is reportedly under control.

Nevertheless, the vessel is now listing 10-15 degrees to port, and additional containers are reported to have fallen overboard.

“The MPA has collaborated closely with the vessel’s classification society and the Indian authorities to provide technical information supporting the ongoing efforts of the Indian authorities to stabilize the situation and manage the fire. This includes guidance on fire containment measures, assessment of fire conditions onboard, and monitoring of the vessel’s stability,” stated the Singapore authorities.

Firefighters continue to combat the flames and attempt to limit vessel damage through boundary cooling. However, the intense heat generated by the fire renders it unsafe for rescue teams to approach the vessel.