The coast of Kerala witnessed a second shipping accident within 15 days with the Singapore-registered cargo ship M.V. Wan Hai 503 catching fire 88 nautical miles away from Kozhikode. Even before the environmental fallout from the sinking of Liberian-flagged MSC ELSA 3 has been fully assessed and controlled, the second accident has again raised fears of oil spills and coastal environmental destruction.
The burning ship which was adrift was harnessed on Wednesday, June 11 but the fire continues to rage with efforts continuing to douse it. The ship is reported to be carrying containers with hazardous chemicals, though the list is as yet unavailable. Some containers have reportedly fallen off and drifting towards the coast. It is reportedly carrying around 2,000 tonnes of fuel oil and 240 tonnes of diesel, according to shipping sources.
According to the last situation report from the Mercantile Marine Department on June 11, the onboard fire has been partially stabilised, with approximately 40% of the fire brought under control. Firefighting efforts continue in the forward cargo holds with boundary cooling and foam-based suppression being carried out by the Indian Coast Guard ships. There is release of fuel oil into the sea. The vessel remains afloat but without the crew and is currently drifting southeast at a steady pace of one nautical mile per hour.
The two shipping accidents off the coast of Kerala come at the time when the southwest monsoon has gathered strength, and there are strong, rain-bearing winds from the Arabian Sea towards the Kerala coast. This means that the pollution and containers from the ship would float to the coast. Even though a tow line has been harnessed to burning ship, it will take considerable effort to move the ship away from the coast due to the strong winds.
Even as the efforts continue to contain the damage from the second shipping accident, the Director General of Shipping has threatened legal action against the owners of MSC ELSA 3, that sunk off the Kerala coast on May 24, for its improper salvage operations. A police case has been registered in Kerala against the ship owner and its captain for causing environmental damage, pollution due to hazardous material and plastic nurdles, adversely affecting coastal fisheries and livelihoods of fishworkers.
Banner image: Image of the explosion on the ship by Indian Coast Guard via X.
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