Fire, explosions persist on Singapore cargo vessel off Kerala coast, 2 crew members critical

Explosions and flames continued to arise from the Singapore-flagged cargo ship off the coast of Kerala on Tuesday even as Indian Coast Guard's vessels Samudra Prahari and Sachet engaged in operations to douse the blaze which broke out on Monday morning, a defence ministry spokesperson said.
While the fire in the forward bay of the freight vessel was brought under control, the blaze in the portion from the middle of the ship to the container bay still persisted, as per information relayed from ICG personnel at the spot.
The vessel — MV Wan Hai 504 — which was en route from Colombo to Navi Mumbai, when the fire erupted around 44 nautical miles from Azheekal in Kannur coast, has also begun to list 10 to 15 degrees to port.
'While ICG ships Samudra Prahari and Sachet are conducting firefighting operations and boundary cooling, ICG ship Samarth along with salvors is being deployed from Kochi,' the defence PRO said in a post on X.
CG Dornier of the ICG continues to support aerial surveillance in the incident as thick black smoke is seen emanating from the cargo vessel.
While 18 of the 22 crew who were onboard have been rescued, four are still missing. Of the 18 rescued, six were hospitalised and two of them are currently in critical condition in a hospital in Mangaluru. A doctor said they have 40% and 30% burns. All the crew members are foreign nationals.
An official at the Azhikkal Port confirmed that the vessel's cargo contained dangerous substances, including flammable solids, liquids and toxic substances. 'There are four types of dangerous goods aboard classes 3, 4.1, 4.2 and 6.1. Class 3 dangerous goods include flammable liquids. Class 4.1 includes flammable solids. Class 4.2 includes goods that are prone to spontaneous combustion. Class 6 has goods that are mainly classified as toxic,' Azhikkal port PRO Captain Arun Kumar told reporters.
A copy of the cargo manifest has been handed over to the state government from the ship management.
The fire onboard the Singapore cargo vessel comes just two weeks after another major ship incident off the coast of Kerala. On May 25, a Liberia-flagged MSC ELSA 3 capsized off the coast of Kochi, around 14.5 nautical miles away, spilling oil and dozens of containers into the sea. The ship's debris has completely submerged below the sea, including some containers in its cargo hold containing dangerous goods such as calcium carbide. Divers have been deployed at the spot currently to plug leaks in the fuel tank and extract the marine diesel and furnace oil. The incident has sparked widespread fears of environmental damage on the Kerala coast.

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