Fire Reported On Singapore-Flagged Ship Off Kerala Coast, Navy Responds

A fire was reported on board a Singapore-flagged container ship off the coast of Kerala on Monday. PRO Defence Kochi shared the details about the ship and the rescue operation on its X profile.

MV Wan Hai 503, the 270-metre-long vessel with a draught of 12.5 metres, had left Colombo on June 7 and was en route to Mumbai, expected to arrive there on June 10, as per the PTI report.

"On 09 Jun 25, at about 1030 h, MOC (Koc) received information from MOC (Mbi) about a reported underdeck fire onboard MV Wan Hai 503. The vessel is a Singapore-flagged container ship, 270 m long and draughted at 12.5m with LPC Colombo. The vessel departed Colombo on 07 Jun 25 with NPC Mumbai, 10 Jun," PRO Defence Kochi shared on X.

In response, the Indian Navy diverted INS Surat, which had been scheduled to dock in Kochi, to provide immediate assistance.

"Of the 22 crew, 18 crew have abandoned the ship on boat. Crew being rescued by CG and IN assets. The vessel is presently on fire and adrift," it added.

A Navy Dornier aircraft sortie is also being planned from the naval air station INS Garuda in Kochi to assess the situation and coordinate support.