Fire and explosion has been reported onboard the Singapore-registered container vessel Wan Hai 503, approximately 80 km southwest of Azhikkal, Kerala, India. The incident occurred on 9 June 2025 at about 1230hrs (Singapore Time). The vessel is managed by Wan Hai Lines (Singapore) Pte Ltd.
The Indian Coast Guard and Navy responded swiftly, diverting INS Surat and deploying aerial assets from INS Garuda for reconnaissance and support. The Indian Coast Guard also launched a full-scale rescue operation, deploying a CG Dornier aircraft and diverting multiple vessels, including ICGS Rajdoot from New Mangalore, ICGS Arnvesh from Kochi, and ICGS Sachet from Agatti.
Search and rescue operations are currently ongoing. Of the 22 crew members on board, 18 (several injured, 2 severely burned) were rescued and four remain missing. Authorities continue their efforts to locate the missing crew members and fully extinguish the fire. The missing crew members include two Taiwanese nationals, one Indonesian, and one Myanmarese. Search operations are ongoing.
According to Wan Hai’s official schedule, Wan Hai 503 was operating on its China–India Express (CIX) service, having loaded cargo from Kaohsiung, Hong Kong, Shekou, and Singapore, bound for Port Klang, Colombo, and Nhava Sheva.
Its reported that dozens of containers has gone overboard. The ship, built in 2005, was carrying around 650 TEU at the time of the incident. Some containers are suspected to contain hazardous materials, raising serious environmental and safety concerns.
This comes just weeks after the sinking of MSC ELSA 3 in the same region — signaling a troubling trend in maritime safety across the South Asia trade lanes.