KOCHI: National intelligence agencies are set to probe the frequent incidents of fire on board container vessels passing through the country’s western coast.
The Nhava Sheva port in Navi Mumbai has also decided to probe the fire in the Singapore-flagged Wan Hai 503, on its way to Navi Mumbai from Colombo, off the Beypore coast on June 9.
On June 12, MV Interasia Tenacity - another Singapore-flagged vessel, proceeding from Port Klang in Malaysia to Navi Mumbai - reported fire in a container. The vessel was 30 nautical miles off Kochi at the time.
“The fire on board Wan Hai 503 was triggered by explosives carried without proper precautions. The cargo manifest didn’t have the details of the explosives, which substantiates the argument the ship carried undeclared cargo,” a senior officer told TNIE.
Such dangerous cargo have to be packed carefully as rain, moisture, or the rolling of the ship can lead to accidents, he said.
“Besides, the crew abandoned the vessel immediately after the explosion. The crew members of cargo vessels are trained to undertake firefighting operations, but their decision to leave the ship is suspicious,” the officer said.
The Nhava Sheva port has also launched a probe on whether the shipping agency had booked explosives as general cargo. As the cargo manifest of Wan Hai 503 does not specify container carrying explosives, the authorities suspect that the dangerous cargo was shipped as general cargo. The port authorities have taken the details of the senders and the receivers of the cargo to check whether there was any breach of security.
Recently, the Kerala High Court had asked whether the National Investigation Agency can investigate the frequent fire incidents on board container vessels.