News / Four crew members still missing as Wan Hai 503 continues to burn

Photo: Indian CoastGuard

The Singapore-flagged Wan Hai 503 box ship continues to burn today, sparking serious environmental concerns along southern India’s Kerala coastline.

Four crew members are missing, while five of the 18 others, rescued by Indian maritime forces after abandoning ship, have serious injuries.

“Of the 22 crew members, 14 are Chinese, including six from Taiwan,” a spokesperson at the Chinese Embassy in India tweeted. “Our gratitude goes to the Indian navy and Mumbai Coast Guard for their prompt and professional rescue.”

According to preliminary reports, the blaze erupted after explosions on the 4,300 teu ship, en route from Colombo port (Sri Lanka) to Nhava Sheva port in India on a joint operation with Hapag-Lloyd, Evergreen and Interasia Lines, according to available information.

The 2005-built Wan Hai 503 had some 650 containers on board, as many as 157 containing dangerous goods, generally falling under the IMDG category. Around 50 boxes fell overboard, sources said.

There has been a series of ship fires in the recent past: Maersk Frankfurt off the Indian coast in July 2024, MSC Capetown III in August 2024 at Colombo and YM Mobility at Ningbo port in China, also in August last year, to cite a few examples.

Local industry sources have raised concerns that rampant misdeclaration of dangerous cargo loads is becoming an undeniable factor in the increasing number of ship fire incidents across the globe.

Carrier sources claim it is a daunting task for ship operators to ensure the accuracy of shipment data supplied by cargo owners.

“It’s really concerning that many shippers are misdeclaring cargo,” one source said. “Some shippers get blacklisted, but incorrect declarations remain a persistent issue.”

Another industry source said carriers have constantly highlighted the importance of proper or correct cargo declarations by shippers to prevent dangerous cargo risks.

“Unfortunately, a lot of misdeclarations continue to happen, but in this case (Wan Hai 503), only a detailed investigation report will tell us what caused the fire,” the source told The Loadstar.

Additionally, sources cited the growing incidence of maritime casualty cases involving Singapore-flagged vessels, signalling “a flag of convenience” approach by shipowners or carriers.