Singapore Vessel Blaze: How the Indian Coast Guard & Navy Averted a Marine Disaster

Days after a Singapore-flagged container ship, MV Wan Hai 503, caught fire following an internal explosion, the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) has successfully enabled a crucial tow connection with a salvage vessel.

In a post on X, the ICG announced: “Major milestone in the ongoing operation to suppress the fire onboard MV Wan Hai 503 and protect the marine environment! India Coast Guard ships undertaking firefighting operations enabled the tow connection of the Salvage vessel in an extremely challenging and daunting operation.”

This means that Coast Guard ships, while actively battling the flames, managed to secure a towing cable between the burning vessel and a salvage tug—a ship specially designed to pull distressed vessels. The operation was carried out under extremely hazardous conditions, including heavy smoke, intense heat, the ship's instability, and rough seas.

MV Wan Hai 503 was en route from Colombo, Sri Lanka, to Mumbai when it caught fire in the Arabian Sea near Kerala. The vessel was carrying 1.2 lakh litres of fuel and hundreds of containers, raising serious environmental concerns.

Following the incident, the Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS) issued an alert for Kerala’s coastline, warning of a potential oil spill and floating debris.

The ICG immediately launched a large-scale firefighting and containment effort to minimize the threat to the marine ecosystem.

In another update, the ICG explained how the tow line was successfully transferred.

“HQSNC tasked the Indian Navy helicopter to winch down salvors who shifted the tow from ICG ships to Salvage Tugs. The tow has now commenced, and the vessel is being pulled to keep away from our coast! ICG fire fighting operation continues.”

To explain:

HQSNC (Headquarters Southern Naval Command) directed a Navy helicopter to lower salvors—expert maritime rescue personnel—onto the burning vessel.

These salvors then transferred the tow cable from Coast Guard ships to specialized salvage tugs.

With the tow now active, MV Wan Hai 503 is no longer adrift. The ship is being pulled further offshore to mitigate environmental and safety risks.

Thanks to the coordinated efforts of the Indian Coast Guard and Navy, the vessel is now under control and at a safe distance from the coast, significantly reducing the risk of a marine disaster. Efforts are still underway to fight the fire.