Latest news with #SearchandRescueAidTool
NDTV
11-06-2025
- General
- NDTV
"Gratitude To Indian Navy": China On Swift Rescue Of Fire-Hit Cargo Ship
Beijing: China has expressed gratitude to India for successfully rescuing the crew of the Singapore-flagged cargo vessel MV Wan Hai 503 that caught fire off the Kerala coast on June 9. Spokesperson of the Chinese Embassy in India, Yu Jing, took to X and said that of the 22 people on board the vessel, 14 were Chinese nationals, as she thanked the Indian Navy and Mumbai Coast Guard for their prompt actions. "On June 9, MV Wan Hai 503 encountered onboard explosion and fire 44 nautical miles off Azhikkal, Kerala. Of the total 22 crew members on board, 14 are Chinese, including 6 from Taiwan. Our gratitude goes to the Indian Navy and the Mumbai Coast Guard for their prompt and professional rescue," Yu Jing wrote on X. On June 9, MV Wan Hai 503 encountered onboard explosion and fire 44 nautical miles off Azhikkal, Kerala. Of the total 22 crew members on board, 14 are Chinese, including 6 from Taiwan. Our gratitude goes to the Indian Navy @indiannavy and the Mumbai Coast Guard for their prompt… — Yu Jing (@ChinaSpox_India) June 10, 2025 Of the 22 crew members on board the ship, four people are missing, five were injured, while 18 others were rescued. China said it wishes further search operations to be successful, and the injured crew members have a speedy recovery. The explosion occurred while the vessel was en route from Colombo to Nhava Sheva near Mumbai. It experienced an explosion in one of its containers, sparking a massive onboard fire while sailing roughly 70 nautical miles off Kozhikode. The vessel is currently adrift. The Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS) has activated its Search and Rescue Aid Tool (SARAT) to track possible drift patterns of containers, debris, or people who may have gone overboard. The INCOIS has also warned of a potential oil spill. Though the exact quantity of any spillage is still unknown, forecast simulations suggest the oil would drift parallel to the coastline from June 10 through June 13, with continuous monitoring underway. Local authorities have been urged to step up coastal surveillance and prepare communities for possible navigational or shoreline hazards.
Time of India
10-06-2025
- General
- Time of India
Drift and oil spill advisory issued after fire on container ship off Kerala coast
The Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS) has issued advisories warning of drifting containers and a potential oil spill following a major fire on the Singapore-flagged cargo vessel Wan Hai 503 . The ship caught fire off the Kerala coast on June 9. The ship, which was en route to Nhava Sheva , Mumbai from Colombo, experienced an explosion in one of its containers, sparking a massive onboard fire while sailing roughly 70 nautical miles off Kozhikode . The vessel is currently adrift. In response, INCOIS activated its Search and Rescue Aid Tool (SARAT) to track possible drift patterns of containers, debris, or people who may have gone overboard. According to the latest simulations, there is a 70-80 per cent probability that drifting objects may move south-southeastward from the incident site over the next three days. Live Events "Simulations show that the containers are likely to continue to drift in the ocean for the next three days and might take longer to reach the beach. However, caution is advised about a few containers beaching between Kozhikode and Kochi. The situation is closely monitored and updated drift directions will be provided," INCOIS said in a statement. Local authorities have been urged to step up coastal surveillance and prepare communities for possible navigational or shoreline hazards, it said. In parallel, INCOIS also ran its Oil Spill Trajectory System , which models the movement of a hypothetical 100-ton bunker oil spill from the vessel. Though the exact quantity of any spillage is still unknown, forecast simulations suggest the oil would drift parallel to the coastline from June 10 through June 13, with continuous monitoring underway. "At approximately 1600 hours on 12 June, the spill is projected to maintain this trajectory. By 1600 hours on 13 June, the pollutant is expected to have progressed further in parallel direction along the coast," it said. The advisory includes visual projections of potential oil movement, showing both floating and beached oil particles.
The Hindu
09-06-2025
- Science
- The Hindu
INCOIS estimates cargo vessel containers may drift for three more days off Kerala coast
Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS) has informed there is a '70-80%' probability that the containers, persons, debris which went overboard from the vessel 'Wan Hai 503' may drift south-southeastwards from the accident location for the next three days off the Kerala coast. The material including containers are likely to continue to drift in the ocean and might take longer to beach. However, caution is advised about a few containers beaching between Kozhikode and Kochi, it said in a bulletin released on Monday. The Indian Coast Guard had reported a maritime incident involving the Singapore-flagged Cargo vessel 'Wan Hai 503' en route to Nhava Sheva, Mumbai, from Colombo after it experienced a container explosion resulting in a significant onboard fire. The vessel was located approximately 70 nautical miles from Kozhikode, Kerala when the incident occurred and the vessel is currently adrift, said Director T. M. Balakrishnan Nair in a press release. INCOIS institute located in Hyderabad and working under the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) had deployed its Search and Rescue Aid Tool (SARAT) output for drifting/missing objects, a state-of-the-art, multi-model operational ocean forecasting system that assimilates real-time observational data from a network of coastal and deep-ocean buoys to estimate the drift of the vessel and containers. The situation is being closely monitored, and updated drift directions will be provided. An Oil Spill Trajectory System has also been deployed to forecast the movement and dispersion of a simulated oil spill in the marine environment using advanced ocean circulation models. The simulation outputs help decision-makers assess the possible spread of oil spill, identify vulnerable coastal areas, and coordinate timely and efficient containment and clean-up strategies to minimize ecological damage. The situation is being monitored continuously in close coordination with the Coast Guard, and other stakeholders, to provide updated advisories as needed, said Director T. M. Balakrishnan Nair in a press release.
The Hindu
26-05-2025
- Climate
- The Hindu
Capsized cargo containers may drift towards Alappuzha, Kollam and Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala
Search and Rescue Aid Tool (SARAT) of the Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS) has stated in another bulletin that there is a high probability (80%) that overboard containers of the capsized Liberian flagged container ship may drift towards the coastal stretch of Alappuzha, Kollam and Thiruvananthapuram districts of Kerala in the next couple of days. Hence, these regions should be monitored closely to mitigate potential risks. Additionally, Oil Spill Trajectory Advisory simulations were conducted to forecast the potential spread and movement of the oil discharge, aiding in mitigation and clean-up planning. The oil spill of mainly very low sulphur fuel has been observed to drift southeastward toward the coast and make a landfall near Alappuzha (Alleppey), affecting an estimated 11.4 nautical miles of coastline. The spill movement is being continuously monitored using forecast data, said the bulletin.
Indian Express
26-05-2025
- General
- Indian Express
Containers of capsized ship drift to Kerala coast: What we know about the oil spill risk, and preparedness to contain it
Containers from a Liberian-flagged cargo ship, that capsized off the Kerala coast Sunday triggering a oil spill alert in the area, have now begun washing up ashore. The situation is being closely monitored. Even as no spill has been reported so far, people have been asked to stay away from any object that drift to the shore. MSC ELSA 3, the Liberian-flagged vessel, en route to Kochi Port from Vizhinjam near Thiruvananthapuram, started tilting due to the rough sea conditions, 38 nautical miles off the coast of Kochi on Saturday. By next day morning, multiple containers fell into the water and began to sink. According to Indian Coast Guard (ICG), the vessel capsized rapidly in the early hours of Sunday 'due to flooding in one of the holds', and was at a risk of spilling oil. 'All 24 crew members of Liberian-flagged container vessel MSC ELSA 3 were rescued safely, 21 by Indian Coast Guard and 3 by Indian Navy ship, Sujata, after the vessel sank off Kochi this morning,' the Coast Guard said in a post on X on Sunday. The Kerala State Disaster Management Authority has issued an alert to the public to keep at least 200 metres away from objects that may drift towards the coast. The state government has sounded an alert along the coast, mainly in central and southern Kerala, where the containers from the sunken ship were likely to reach in heavy wind and currents. Besides, there has been an alert against the oil slick from ship, which could reach anywhere along the Kerala coast, the government said. The Coast Guard has said the sunken ship was carrying 640 containers, including 13 containing 'hazardous cargo' and 12 with calcium carbide. Additionally, the ship had 84.44 metric tonnes of diesel and 367.1 metric tonnes of furnace oil in its tanks. However, the Indian National Centre for Ocean Information and Services (INCOIS) has warned that if spillage does occur, at least two coastal districts in southern Kerala could face contamination within 36 to 48 hours. If the oil spill, the areas that are at potential risk of contamination are Alappuzha, Ambalapuzha, Arattupuzha and Karunagappally. 'These coastal zones are at risk of contamination and should be given prompt attention to minimise potential environmental impact,' said INCOIS. INCOIS said it is closely monitoring the situation and remains in coordination with relevant authorities, providing vital ocean forecast information and advisory services to support ongoing search, rescue, and environmental response operations. Soon after the tilting of the cargo ship was reported, INCOIS activated its Search and Rescue Aid Tool (SARAT) to assist in locating containers or drifting objects, it said. Additionally, 'oil spill trajectory advisory' simulations were run to forecast the potential spread and movement of any oil discharge, aiding mitigation and cleanup planning, it said. The Coast Guard said it has activated comprehensive pollution response preparedness and is coordinating closely with the state administration to address all possible scenarios. The Coast Guard ship, Saksham, is engaged in oil spill response. A Coast Guard Dornier aircraft is also being launched in 'PR configuration for mitigating oil spill'. In the context of an oil spill response, 'PR configuration' typically refers to the use of the 'co-polarisation ratio' (PR) method to assess the oil-water mixture ratio in a spill — crucial for effective emergency treatment and cleanup efforts. The state government has asked the Factories and Boilers Department to make ready two Rapid Response Teams (RRTs) each in southern and central Kerala districts, and one each in the northern districts. Besides, in the event of oil slick reaching the shore, the state pollution control board was directed to make ready two RRTs each in the southern and central coastal districts and one each in the northern districts.
