Indian Coast Guard, Navy achieve milestone in MV Wan Hai 503 firefighting ops, pull burning vessel away from Indian Coast

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In a breakthrough, the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) successfully enabled the towing of the fire-stricken Singapore-flagged container vessel MV Wan Hai 503, marking a major milestone in ongoing efforts to control the blaze and protect the marine environment.

The Singapore-flagged container vessel MV Wan Hai 503 has been ablaze in the Arabian Sea, approximately 42 nautical miles off the coast of Beypore, Kerala.

In a post on X, the Indian Coast Guard said, "Major milestone in the ongoing operation to suppress the fire onboard MV Wah Hai 503 and protect the marine environment! India Coast Guard ships undertaking firefighting operations enabled the tow connection of the Salvage vessel in an extremely challenging and daunting operation."

"HQSNC tasked the Indian Navy helicopter to winch down salvors who shifted the tow from ICG ships to Salvage Tugs. The tow has now commenced, and the vessel is being pulled to keep away from our coast! ICG fire fighting operation continues," the post added.

The vessel was carrying 1.2 lakh metric tonnes of fuel and hundreds of containers, including hazardous cargo, posing a serious risk to the marine environment and regional shipping routes.

ICG's relentless 24/7 operations, despite unfavourable sea conditions, have ensured that the vessel is now held safely away from the coast, mitigating the threat of an oil spill or other marine disasters.

A testament to the effectiveness of the boundary cooling and firefighting measures implemented by the ICG.

Earlier on Thursday, the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) and the Indian Navy held a high-level Synergy Meeting at the Coast Guard Headquarters (CGHQ) in New Delhi.

The meeting was co-chaired by the Assistant Chief of Naval Staff (Air) [ACNA (Air)] and the Deputy Director General (Aviation) [DDG (AV)] of the ICG. Key discussions revolved around strengthening jointmanship, interoperability, and coordinated air operations between the two forces.

Officials also deliberated on critical areas such as training programs, flight safety protocols, and future asset acquisition to bolster India's maritime aviation capabilities.