Wan Hai 503

The incident

On 9 June, at 9:50 am local time, an explosion occurred in a container transported in the cargo hold of Singapore-registered container ship Wan Hai 503 resulting in a major fire on board. The vessel, en route from Colombo (Sri Lanka) to Nhava Sheva in India, was drifting in a south-westerly direction, some 80 km off Azhikkal in the state of Kerala (India). The fire spread rapidly to the other containers on deck then to the whole ship.

At the time of the incident, the vessel was carrying 1,754 containers, 143 of which contained dangerous goods as defined by the IMDG code, including nitrocellulose with alcohol (32.2 tonnes), as well as 2,000 tonnes of fuel oil and 240 tonnes of diesel.

Container drift forecasting and modelling 

On 9 June, fire-fighting and rescue operations were carried out, along with aerial surveillance (from two Dornier 228 aircraft), during which 10 to 15 containers – the contents of which were unknown – were located drifting south-east at an estimated speed of 1 to 1.5 knots.

The Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS) activated its Search and Rescue Aid Tool (SARAT), designed to assist maritime authorities in modelling the drift of containers or other floating objects, which indicated a 70–80% probability that the containers and other debris lost at sea would reach the coast within 96 hours, mainly on the beaches between Kozhikode and Kochi (Kerala). This probability was reduced to 60% for the period from 12 to 16 June.

Response at sea and strandings on the shoreline

The Indian Coast Guard (ICG), the Indian Navy and the Directorate General of Shipping (DGS) coordinated rescue and fire-fighting operations. The vessels MV Ambra and MV One Marvel were rerouted to the site to rescue the 18 crew members, while the patrol vessels ICGS Sachet and ICGS Samudra Prahari were engaged in fire-fighting operations using foam and the ICGS Samarth, working together with a helicopter, was undertaking boundary cooling. The Indian Navy sent the INS Surat, scheduled to arrive on the afternoon of 10 June, to assist with fire-fighting operations.

On 10 June, in agreement with the Indian authorities, the shipowners appointed T&T Salvage to tow the Wan Hai 503. On 11 June, tow connection was successfully established with the ETV Water Lily.

As of 12 June, T&T Salvage deployed three additional vessels: Saroja Blessing, Garnet and Saksham, as well as a standby vessel from Mumbai, to support rescue and fire-fighting operations.

The Wan Hai 503, still ablaze, continued to drift and was held at a distance from the coast by the tug Offshore Warrior, despite deteriorating weather and sea conditions.

On 13 June, the ship was considerably lighter, as the fire had destroyed a large part of the cargo, further increasing the risk of rapid drift, particularly under high wind conditions.

On 14 June, drone surveys were initiated for shoreline monitoring to track drifting containers and anticipate them being washed ashore. Public warnings were issued advising the public to maintain a safe distance of at least 200 metres from any containers or debris washed ashore, and to report any such sightings.

On 16 June, seven tugs — the Offshore Warrior, Triton Liberty, Boka Winger, Saroja Blessing, Saksham, Garnet and ETV Water Lily — continued to carry out boundary cooling operations in rotation, targeting the cargo bays where the fire continued to burn in order to maintain the vessel’s structural temperature balance. The same day, a container was reported to have washed up on the shore.

On 17 June, discussions about towing the Wan Hai 503 to a port of refuge focused primarily on the port of Jebel Ali in the United Arab Emirates, subject to complete fire suppression, structural integrity assessments, and regulatory permissions.

 Other options in Bahrain, Sri Lanka, Malaysia and Qatar were also under review.

On 18 June, fire-fighting and boundary cooling operations continued. Marine Emergency Response Services (MERC) and SpillTech continued to monitor the coastline for any containers or potentially hazardous debris washing ashore. No oil spills were reported.

On 19 June, the port of Hambantota in Sri Lanka emerged as the preferred port of refuge, while the ports of Jebel Ali and Bahrain were being evaluated as alternatives.

By 20 June, the fire on board the Wan Hai 503 was largely under control. Persistent smouldering in certain inaccessible parts of the ship required continued boudary cooling and targeted suppression. The port of Hambantota remained the leading candidate as a port of refuge, pending final clearance from the Sri Lankan authorities. The ports of Jebel Ali, Bahrain and Colombo were also under consideration. The DGS emphasised the need to finalise the selection of a port of refuge in coordination with Wan Hai Lines and the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA Singapore), in order to initiate the phased oil removal and structural assessment of the ship.

On 21 June, water ingress was detected in the engine room, with estimated water levels of 10 metres. On the same day, Wan Hai Lines decided to call off the aerial surveillance of the shoreline by MERC and SpillTech, as drift forecasts indicated a minimal risk of containers or debris washing ashore. The ports of Dubai and the Far East, such as Singapore and Malaysia, remained backup options should clearance be denied for the port of Hambantota, which remained the preferred choice as a port of refuge.

On 22 June, operational support for fire-fighting operations continued to be provided by the Water Lily and the Saksham (fire watch and draught monitoring), the Boka Winger (fire-fighting), and the Saroja Blessing (thermal imaging).

On 25 June, controlled towage of the Wan Hai 503, as per instructions from the DGS, ensured that it remained away from the coastline and from India’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ). Its drift trajectory was stabilised.

On 26 June, the fire that continued to smoulder on the upper deck caused partial hatch collapse and container stack collapse in hold no. 4. This caused structural breaches which increased ventilation, thereby exacerbating
the risk of the fire reigniting, particularly in containers carrying plastic resin.

From 28 June, salvage operations focused on pumping water out of the engine room, resulting in an improvement in the ship’s list by 10 July.

On 2 July, around 9,000 litres of Pyrocool firefighting agent were applied to the ship’s hotspots and critical areas, effectively reducing the temperature, particularly in hold no. 4.

From 5 to 14 July, fire-fighting efforts made progress, with an overall reduction in temperatures.

From 16 July, despite harsh sea conditions, the Wan Hai 503 remained stable.

On 24 July, the Wan Hai 503 was located approximately 167 km from the Indian EEZ boundary and from Sri Lankan waters. The MPA announced that the Wan Hai 503 will not be permitted to enter a port of refuge until a forward tow connection was in place. The tug Advantis Virgo rejoined operations to execute this connection. Meanwhile, the DGS reiterated its position that any entry into an Indian port of refuge was off the table until all bunkers had been removed and while monsoon conditions prevailed. The final choice of a port of refuge needed to take into account the overall suitability for the vessel as well as the handling of fire-damaged cargo.

The primary coordination responsibility for managing the incident was handed over to the Flag State, Singapore, and the salvors. The DGS announced that its responsibilities would conclude once the vessel re-entered international waters, barring any renewed emergency.

On 18 August, Singapore announced that it would not allow the ship to dock, despite the situation on board having improved.

On 25 August, the Wan Hai 503 was towed towards the Middle East in the hope of finding a port of refuge.

On 11 September, the vessel was finally granted approval by DP World and the Dubai Ports Authority to berth at the port of refuge in Jebel Ali, United Arab Emirates.

By 22 November, 1,246 containers had been removed from the ship, according to a press release issued by Wan Hai Lines. The containers remaining on board were among the most most damaged, deformed, and melted by the fire, making them difficult to identify and handle. Access to the holds was also impeded by hatch covers having been deformed.  Operations to pump out the cargo holds continued, with 7,603 tonnes of fire-fighting water discharged. Pumping was challenging due to cargo residue blocking the pump, pipe or hold openings. The shipowner also indicated that carbon monoxide remained present in some unopened cargo holds, despite the fire having been almost completely extinguished in early July.