Taiwanese container ship fire off Indian coast under control after 3 weeks

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A fire aboard a Taiwanese container ship that began in early June is finally under control after burning for more than three weeks.

Fires aboard the Wan Hai 503 container vessel floating off the southwest coast of India were nearly extinguished, and salvage crews were preparing to board the vessel,  Trade Winds reported on Friday. In a statement, Wan Hai said the Salvor T&T Salvage company will handle the inspection and clean up.

The Singapore-flagged vessel was en route to Mumbai from Colombo, Sri Lanka, when explosions occurred on June 9. Reports indicate the initial explosions caused 40 containers to fall into the sea and forced the crew to abandon ship.

The Indian navy rescued 18 members of the 22-person crew, while four people, including two Taiwanese, remain missing at sea and are presumed dead. On June 30, it was reported that the ship had been towed outside of India’s EEZ, approximately 130 nautical miles (241 km) off the coast of Kochi.

A ship named Offshore Warrior was responsible for towing the structurally damaged vessel. Two other ships, the Atlantis Virgo and SCI Panna, assisted with firefighting operations.

On June 30, Maritime Executive reported that the fire was still smoldering in Cargo Hold No. 4, and that the ship’s structural stability was rated at 76%. An investigation by Wan Hai and the Indian government will seek to discover why the explosion occurred and determine what cargo was lost or damaged.