Four seafarers are missing after an explosion on a Wan Hai Lines container ship today (June 9).
Indian Defence Ministry said the fire was reported around 10.30 am local time while the Singapore-flagged 4,250 TEU Wan Hai 503 was about 80km southwest of Azhikkal town in Kerala, India.
Of the 22 crew members onboard, 18 abandoned the burning ship and evacuated on a life raft. Defence officials said Wan Hai 503 is now burning and adrift.
#Update
Of the 22 crew, 18 crew have abandoned the ship on boat.
Crew being rescued by CG and IN assets.
Vessel is presently on fire and adrift.@indiannavy @IndiaCoastGuard @IN_HQSNC @IN_WNC pic.twitter.com/5Uqskt0iHJ— PRO Defence Kochi (@DefencePROkochi) June 9, 2025
The Maritime and Port Authority (MPA) of Singapore said: “Eighteen crew members have been accounted for and are in the process of being transferred from lifeboats to a passing vessel. There are no Singaporeans onboard.”
MPA said some of the rescued seafarers are injured, adding that the Indian Coast Guard and the navy are providing assistance to the crew, as well as searching for those missing. Wan Hai 503, assigned to Wan Hai’s Far East-Madras Service 2, set out from Colombo on 7 June and was due to arrive in Mumbai on 10 June.
Wan Hai said in a Taiwan Stock Exchange filing that it is working with the relevant government agencies and insurers to rescue the seafarers and assist shippers.
The underdeck blast was first reported by the Maritime Operations Centre in Mumbai to their counterparts in Kochi. It is believed that hazardous goods were being transported in that deck.
Indian media reported that Wan Hai 503 was carrying four types of hazardous materials: flammable liquids (Class 3), flammable solids (Class 4.1), substances liable to spontaneous combustion (Class 4.2), and toxic substances (Class 6).
It is the second maritime mishap in Indian waters in a fortnight.
On 25 May, MSC’s 1,730 TEU MSC Elsa 3 sank off Kerala while sailing from Vizhinjam to Kochi when ballast water system failures caused the ship to list severely before sinking.
