The Wan Hai Lines container ship Wan Hai 503 was taken under tow by salvage tugs to a position approximately 35 nautical miles off the Kerala coastline.

The fire on board the container ship Wan Hai 503 (IMO: 9294862) is largely extinguished, with only some hotspots remaining, the claims specialist WK Webster said in an update on June 17, citing reports from the Indian Coast Guard.

“The vessel was taken under tow by salvage tugs to a position approximately 35 nautical miles off the Kerala coastline and will later be moved to a position 50 nautical miles from the coast whilst salvors attempt to salvage the vessel and the cargo remaining on board the vessel,” the claims specialist added.

The Singapore-flagged containership Wan Hai 503 caught fire approximately 80 km southwest of Azhikkal, Kerala, India on June 9 at about 1230hrs Singapore time.

The 2005-built vessel, managed by Wan Hai Lines (Singapore) Pte Ltd., had 22 crew members onboard at the time. As it is reported, there were no Singaporeans onboard.

Dramatic pictures and videos shared by the Indian coast guard on social media platform X showed a thick plume of black smoke rising from the ship.

The vessel, which was en route to Nhava Sheva, had departed Colombo on June 7 and was expected to arrive in Nhava Sheva on June 10, according to Marine Traffic data.

The claims specialist WK Webster warns now that recovery issues will arise in respect of any loss or damage to cargo stowed on board the vessel and it remains possible that GA/salvage issues may also arise.

The incident is under development and updates will be provided when further information becomes available.