MV Wan Hai 503, Singapore-flagged cargo ship catches fire near Kozhikode coast in Kerala; rescue mission underway

KOCHI : The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) and the Indian Navy have launched a joint rescue operation to save the lives of about 22 crew members from a Singapore-flagged cargo vessel MV Wan Hai 503 that caught fire nearly 40 nautical miles off the Beypore coast early on Monday (June 9, 2025) morning.

Coast guard sources said the feeder vessel was on the way to Mumbai from Colombo, Sri Lanka, with over 650 containers. They said the reasons behind the fire were yet to be ascertained.

20 containers fall into sea

Disaster management sources said about 20 containers reportedly fell into the sea from the container ship, identified as under the flag of Singapore. They said arrangements were in place in Kannur, Kozhikode and Kochi to extend emergency medical care to the injured crew after the rescue operation.

Disaster management authorities in Kozhikode and Kannur said they reviewed the preparedness to meet the emergency situation with the support of various critical care units.

Explosions reported

They said there were reports of some explosions in the ship. Emergency messages were also sent to the fishing boat operators off the Malabar coast, they added.  

Coastal police sources said they were yet to receive any confirmed reports about the accidents or the progress of the rescue operations. They said communications had already been sent to various security agencies to be alert about the lost containers. 

Navy sources said they received the distress signal around 10.30 a.m on Monday. Measures to airlift the crew were adopted instantly following the instructions from the higher authorities, they added.