Indian Coast Guard - Shipwreck Log

On the afternoon of July 6, the 148 meter long, 19477 dwt chemical tanker Fulda (IMO: 9185865) exploded if the Gulf of Kurch near the port of Kandla, Gujarat, India. The Fulda had completed a discharge of a cargo of methanol at the Oil Jetty No. 2 in the port in Kandla and proceeded to leave port bound for Port Sohar, Oman. A few hours later the Fulda would explode ripping up most of its top deck apart. Witnessed by the nearby 175.5 meter long, 31858 dwt bulk carrier Team Focus (IMO: 9424132), the Fulda sustained massive damage but was still afloat. The master of the tanker stated there was no underwater damage and none of the 384 tons of fuel had not been released into the water.

However, the Fulda may have suffered some water ingress to its ballast tanks as it developed a 22 degree list to starboard that shifted to port as the crew attempted to stabilize the vessel. The 21 crew on board the tanker were later evacuated by the 31.5 meter long tug Orchid Star (IMO: 9658850) which had been dispatched from Kandla. No details were reported if any crew had been injured from the incident.

Indian authorities dispatched multiple vessels from the Coast Guard along with multiple tugs to monitor the Fulda. The Coast Guard has sent out alerts to keep all vessel traffic away from the tanker due to the potential of fire or pollution being released. Latest reports state the Fulda was taken under tow back to Kandla.

The cause of the explosion is under investigation. Initial reports suggest the explosion was due to the improper venting of flammable vapors during the discharge. There has been no reports if the Fulda was in the practice of using inert gassing or if it allowed an air-vapor mixture to to build up in the tanks like what occurred on the Sansinena explosion in 1976. That explosion was so massive that sections of the vessel sent burning rivets into the air into the surround area and lead to changes to regulations on how venting was done on tankers.

Wan Hai 503 Update

June 12, 2025 Paul Hancock

June 12 Update

Reports state the container vessel Wan Hai 503 which has been ablaze since June 9 has been successfully secured with a towing hawser. The towline was secured to the Indian Coast Guard vessel Samudra Prahari which keeping the container vessel from drifting closer to the shoreline. The Coast Guard plans to hand the towing to several tugboats which will pull the Wan Hai 503 further away from shore.

Four Indian Coast Guard vessels, Indian Air Force helicopters and salvage teams have now reported the fire approximately 40 percent under control. Multiple inner decks are still ablaze and dense grey smoke still emits from the forward cargo holds. Some 20,000 litres of fire fighting foam is being transported from Mumbai to help extinguish the fire. Helicopters are using dry chemical agents while vessels continue to spray water onto the vessel.

Indian Authorities still have concerns of the environmental impact if the blaze ignites the 2128 metric tons of fuel or reaches the hazardous cargo within some of the containers onboard. Officials have stated that some 24 containers had fallen into the sea with some possibly still afloat, but most have sunk.

Wan Hai 503

June 9, 2025 Paul Hancock

On the morning of June 9, the 269 meter long, 51300 dwt container ship Wan Hai 503 (IMO: 9294862) caught fire in the Arabian Sea some 40 km west of the Beypore-Azhikkal coast of India. The Wan Hai 503 was proceeding to Nhava Dheva from Colombo with 650 containers when one or more containers exploded amidships. The explosion resulted in many containers destroyed with 20 upwards to 50 containers that fell overboard into the sea. The explosion resulted in a fire which quickly spread to other containers and throughout the vessel.

The fire could not be contained and 18 of the 22 crew members on the Wan Hai 503 abandoned ship. Ten crew members escaped using the no. 2 lifeboat while 8 others used one of the vessel’s life rafts. Four crew members were reported missing and may have perished from the explosion.

The Indian Coast Guard and Navy conducted a search and rescue operation and safely recovered the 18 crew members. Three crew members were injured along with two others who had suffered severe burns from the fire. The Coast Guard also issued an advisory in the area for the risk of drifting containers off the coast. Aircraft were deployed to monitor the Wan Hai 503 for potential pollution released with the risk of more containers falling into the sea along with oil pollution if the container ship would sink.

Indian authorities has asked the vessel owners, Wan Hai Lines, to appoint a salvage company with fire fighting capabilities to recover the Wan Hai 503. However, the fire has consumed much of the forward container holds, the Wan Hai 503 may sink before any salvage attempt can be made. The container ship was last reported to have developed a list to port caused by water ingress. The container ship was reported to be drifting south to southeast and there is concern any oil pollution released would impact the areas of Kozhikode and Kochi.