Cargo ship fire-fighting off Kerala coast continues; presence of hazardous cargo aggravates concerns

The ship has also reportedly started tilting, which could escalate into the entire ship sinking eventually. Already, several containers have fallen into the sea.

Thiruvananthapuram: The fire that broke out in a container ship off the Kerala coast on Monday morning remained uncontrolled until Tuesday evening, raising concerns about its impact on the marine ecology due to the presence of hazardous cargo.

The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) and the Indian Navy are working to extinguish the fire aboard the Singapore-flagged container ship Wan Hai 503, which caught fire on Monday morning. The ship was reportedly tilting, raising concerns that it could eventually sink. Many containers have already fallen into the sea. While 18 crew members have been rescued and relocated to Mangaluru, efforts are underway to locate the remaining four.

The presence of highly flammable substances aboard the ship, which was sailing from Colombo to Nhava Sheva Port in Mumbai, has raised serious concerns. The fears have been compounded by the recent sinking of MSC ELSA-3 off the Kerala coast two weeks ago, while uncertainty over the hazardous cargo on board continues. Apart from the hazardous cargo, the ship was also estimated to be having around 2,000 tonnes of fuel.

According to the dangerous goods manifest of Wan Hai 503, which caught fire 44 nautical miles off Azhikkal in north Kerala, 157 containers have highly hazardous cargo, including resin solution, nitrocellulose, diacetone alcohol, paint, hydrocarbons, turpentine, naphthalene and organometallic substances.

Experts point out that while Wan Hai 503 met with the mishap at a comparatively greater distance than MSC ELSA-3 — which sank 14.6 nautical miles from Thottappally spillway in Alappuzha — the presence of highly hazardous cargo remains a serious concern. The possibility of the cargo washing ashore cannot be ruled out, prompting authorities to issue an alert in northern parts of the state.

Agencies such as the ICAR-Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI) have already begun collecting water samples for testing.

Incidentally, the ship mishaps occurred during the fish breeding season, coinciding with Kerala’s 52-day trawling ban, which began on Tuesday.

CMFRI director Dr Grinson George said that the severity of the impact on the marine ecosystem would depend on the extent of pollution from the containers or the vessel itself. Given the current situation, marine scientists cannot yet predict the full extent of the damage. “We have started a rapid assessment of water quality, sediment contamination and the health of marine organisms,” he said.

Meanwhile, scientists at CMFRI told DH that, so far, no water quality issues have been detected following the May 25 sinking of MSC ELSA-3. However, testing is still ongoing.

Although the ship was reportedly carrying hazardous cargo like calcium carbide, scientists believe that the containers remain at the accident site and may not have mixed with the seawater.