KOCHI: Wan Hai 503, the burning container vessel which was drifting towards Kochi coast, was pulled back to a safe distance by the Indian Coast Guard with support from the Indian Navy and the salvage team. The vessel which drifted to a distance of 27 nautical miles from Kochi coast on Friday night was pulled back to deeper sea. The vessel was located around 40 nautical miles from Kochi on Saturday evening. Though the fire on board the vessel was extinguished on Friday, it got reignited due to heavy monsoon winds on Saturday.
“The sea is very rough and the tugs currently deployed are not able to pull the vessel to deep sea. So a 200-tonne bollard tug will be brought on Sunday to pull the vessel to the deep sea. Currently, two tugs are holding the vessel using towlines to stop it from drifting to the Kerala coast. The vessel listed to the port side after some containers kept on the starboard side fell into the sea. Now the vessel is stable and we have been able to arrest the drift towards the shore,” said an officer.
“The salvors, winched down by a Seaking helicopter of the Navy, tied a 600-metre tow rope which was connected to a tug on Friday evening. This crucial joint operation involving the Indian Coast Guard, Indian Navy, and Indian Air Force enabled the salvors to take over the vessel and continue the firefighting and salvage work. The vessel is currently being towed westward at a speed of approximately 1.8 knots and is now nearly 40 nautical miles off the coast. Three Indian Coast Guard Offshore Patrol Vessels are escorting the vessel while also continuing essential firefighting efforts,” the Coast Guard said in a release.
Though the fire was extinguished on Friday, it was reignited by strong westerly winds on Saturday, and thick smoke continued to rise from the deck of the container vessel. The authorities are planning to bring more firefighters who may attempt to board the vessel on Sunday. The Coast Guard is closely coordinating with the Directorate General of Shipping to ensure the vessel remains at least 50 nautical miles from the Indian coastline until a suitable fate is decided by the owners of the vessel.