In a breakthrough, the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) successfully enabled the towing of the fire-stricken Singapore-flagged container vessel MV Wan Hai 503, marking a major milestone in ongoing efforts to control the blaze and protect the marine environment.
In a significant step towards enhancing maritime air operations, the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) and the Indian Navy held a high-level Synergy Meeting at the Coast Guard Headquarters (CGHQ) in New Delhi on Thursday, said the ICG.
The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) has reported substantial progress in their efforts to control the fire aboard the Singapore-flagged container vessel MV Wan Hai 503, which has been ablaze in the Arabian Sea, approximately 42 nautical miles off the coast of Beypore, Kerala.
A specialised team comprising one pilot and two aircrew divers was deployed onboard an Indian Air Force MI-17 helicopter to carry out aerial firefighting operations.
The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) on Thursday winched five salvage team members and an aircrew diver onto the burning Singaporean-container vessel MV Wan Hai 503 to facilitate towing operations.
The Taiwan Government thanked the Indian Navy and Coast Guard for quickly rescuing crew members from the vessel Wan Hai 503 and expressed hope for the safe return of the missing and speedy recovery of the injured.
"Indian Coast Guard ships continue to fight the fire and attempt to bring the inferno on the container ship MV WAN HAI 503 under control off the Kerala coast. Visible flames have reduced, and thick smoke continues to emanate as of 1700 hrs today," the Indian Coast Guard said.
According to Yu Jing, Chinese and Taiwanese crew members were among those onboard MV Wan Hai. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson wished for successful search operations and speedy recovery for injured crew members.
Four crew members were reported missing and five injured after an explosion under deck was reported onboard MV WAN HAI 503 while it was on passage from Colombo to Nhava Sheva.
According to Plastic Surgeon Kadam, the six rescuees are from multiple nationalities, including Chinese and Indonesian. Of the six rescued crew members, two have suffered critical injuries.