Coast Guard starts towing burning cargo ship off Kerala coast
KOCHI: With the fire subsiding, the Indian Coast Guard started efforts to drag MV Wan Hai 503, which has been burning for the past four days, deep into the sea on Thursday.
An MI-17 helicopter of the Indian Air Force took off from Kozhikode on Thursday and dropped 2,600kg of fire retardant dry chemical powder on the vessel deck. According to agencies involved in the operation, the fire on the deck has subsided, but smoke is rising from the cargo hold, indicating fire under the deck.
“Once the fire is completely doused, T & T Salvage, the salvage team appointed by the owner of the Singapore-flagged ship, will take over the vessel and tow it away from the Indian waters. Currently, the Coast Guard is holding the towline and slowly moving the ship into the deep sea. The DG Shipping has sent reinforcement from Mumbai which is on the way. The slavers have been told to arrange their own tugs to continue the operation,” said a senior officer.
An officer said the salvage team has been supporting the the Coast Guard to douse the fire. Five ships – ICGS Samarth, Saksham, Samudra Prahari, Sachet and Vikram – are involved in the fire fighting and boundary cooling operations.
Meanwhile, the search for the four missing crew members is on. The tug Ocean Warrier has returned to the shore due to some technical snag and another tug is being arranged.
Additionally, the salvage team has started the hot tapping process to remove the oil from the bunkers of MSC Elsa 3 on Thursday afternoon. The team had plugged three leaks in the bunkers by Thursday morning and is hopeful of removing the oil within three days.