Oil spill advisories, slight tilt in the ship, risk of ship sinking, containers falling into the sea – a lot has happened since an explosion and a massive fire broke out below the deck of a Singapore-flagged vessel, M.V. Wan Hai 503, on June 9. The ship was sailing nearly 70 nautical miles off the Kerala coast near Kozhikode on Monday.
The sailing fire has raised several environmental concerns as the ship continues to emit thick smoke. Indian Coast Guard (ICG) continued its efforts to control the fire until Thursday, June 12, as reported. The vessel remains unmanned and adrift, 65 nautical miles from Kozhikode, Kerala, as on Thursday. Coast Guard ships Samudra Prahari and Sachet, carrying out firefighting operations over MV Wan Hai 503, are still in the process of completely combating the fire and smoke. The Coast Guard team has deployed numerous measures to control the fire, rescue officers on-board and site surveillance.
The Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS) issued an advisory to warn of a potential oil spill. The government ministry has also issued an advisory warning of drifting containers as several containers fell from the ship due to the explosion. Reportedly, 10 to 15 of the fallen containers were spotted adrift on a course toward the Kerala coast.
The ship was carrying hazardous substances, including solids that can spontaneously combust, flammable liquids and solids, and substances harmful to human health. Hence, the firefighting operations require caution and expert advice. The contents of the ship raise concerns about ocean water contamination, possibility of an explosion, and harm to marine life.
There is a high probability that the containers and debris that went overboard from the vessel Wan Hai 503 may drift south-southeastwards from the accident location may beach Thalassery and Kochi in the next 4 – 5 days, said INCOIS on Thursday. The containers containing hazardous substances are likely to continue to drift in the ocean for the next 4-5 days and might take longer to beach. A few containers are at the risk of beaching between Kozhikode and Kochi.
Some units are likely to sink to the seabed depending on their contents. This would pose further risk to marine life as the containers, along with their contents will spread hazardous substances deep inside the ocean water.
INCIOS suggested that local authorities should increase surveillance and issue precautions as a preparatory measure for potential marine hazards such as navigational obstructions or shoreline contamination.
The fire raises a threat of explosion because the ship tank contains approximately 2,000 tonnes of fuel oil and 240 tonnes of diesel, adjacent to the fire zone. This also poses a high risk of fire escalation.
The ship has tilted approximately 10 to 15 degrees to its left, as stated by the Indian Coast Guard. The ship’s tilt makes room for possibilities of the vessel to sink along with dangerous cargo, which will have adverse effects on marine life at a large scale. The listing of the ship is a major challenge for the rescuers.
“We can’t say anything about the future of the ship and the dangerous cargo onboard the ship only after dousing the fire. However, we are hopeful that the fire could be contained,” a senior Union Shipping Ministry source told The Hindu.
“The vessels of the Indian Navy and Coast Guard are doing their level best, but a positive outcome is highly unlikely as the fire continues to rage and spread. Since there are containers drifting around the vessel, firefighting vessels are struggling to pump water from a close range. At the same time, there are flammable substances in the containers,” an official source told TOI.
ICG posted an update about MV Wan Hai 503 on Thursday, stating that firefighting operations have significantly reduced the blaze onboard. While conducting joint efforts with Indian Armed Forces, a massive amount of Dry Chemical Powder (DCP) has been air-dropped for fire control.
IAF has dropped 4000 kg of DCP for controlling metal fire.
However, amid several warnings, no oil spills and sheens have been reported so far. The vessel is held safely away from the coast.
The firefighting operations are still underway by seven ICG ships alongside boundary cooling. The weather conditions continue to be adverse in the west Sea as ICG runs firefighting operations 24×7.
