Asia/Pacific News
Singapore-Flagged Boxship Catches Fire Off India
A major fire broke out aboard the Singapore-flagged container ship Wan Hai 503 on Monday morning, approximately 130 nautical miles off the Kerala coast, India.
The blaze is believed to have been triggered by an onboard explosion.
Rescue operations are currently underway, with Indian Coast Guard vessels responding to the incident, according to a social media update from the Ministry of Defence.
The vessel had 22 crew members onboard, and the ministry said 18 had abandoned ship. Their condition and status have not yet been confirmed.
According to VesselFinder, Wan Hai 503 departed Colombo, Sri Lanka, on Saturday and was en route to Mumbai, with an estimated arrival on June 10.
The cause of the explosion remains unknown at the moment.
The incident follows the recent sinking of an MSC container ship off the coast of Kochi after it developed a 26-degree starboard list.
