Kerala: INCOIS Issues Drift And Oil Spill Advisory After Fire On Container Ship

A day after the Singapore-flagged cargo vessel Wan Hai 503 caught fire off the Kerala coast, Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS), the ocean information service provider under the Ministry of Earth Sciences, issued advisories warning of drifting containers and a potential oil spill.

On Monday, the ship, which was en route to Nhava Sheva, Mumbai, from Colombo, experienced an explosion in one of its containers which sparked a massive onboard fire while sailing roughly 70 nautical miles off Kozhikode. The vessel is currently adrift.

Responding to the incident, INCOIS deployed its Search and Rescue Aid Tool (SARAT) to track possible drift patterns of containers, debris, or people who may have gone overboard.

According to the latest simulations, there is a 70바카라�80 per cent probability that drifting objects may move south-southeastward from the incident site over the next three days.

"Simulations show that the containers are likely to continue to drift in the ocean for the next three days and might take longer to reach the beach. However, caution is advised about a few containers beaching between Kozhikode and Kochi. The situation is closely monitored and updated drift directions will be provided," INCOIS said in a statement.

In view of the development, the local authorities have been urged to enhance coastal surveillance and prepare communities for possible navigational or shoreline hazards, as per PTI.

Moreover, INCOIS also ran its Oil Spill Trajectory System, which models the movement of a hypothetical 100-ton bunker oil spill from the vessel.

"At approximately 1600 hours on 12 June, the spill is projected to maintain this trajectory. By 1600 hours on 13 June, the pollutant is expected to have progressed further in a parallel direction along the coast", they said.

The advisory included visual projections of potential oil movement, showing both floating and beached oil particles. 

Liberian Cargo Ship Sank Off Kerala Coast

In May 2025, the Kerala government, faced another maritime disaster and declared a statewide emergency after a Liberian cargo ship, MSC ELSA 3, that was carrying 640 oil containers, including some with 바카라�hazardous cargo바카라�, turned over and sank off the state바카라�s coast.

A warning was issued along the coastal districts for possible environmental damage following a meeting chaired by Chief Secretary A Jayathilak. 

바카라�As the oil slick can reach anywhere along the Kerala coast, an alert has been sounded across the coastal belt. The containers are drifting in the sea at a speed of 3 km per hour. Besides the oil in the fallen containers, marine fuel used in the ship has also leaked,바카라� the chief minister바카라�s office said after the meeting.

All 24 members who were in the ship have been rescued by the Indian Coast Guard and the Indian Navy's INS Sujata. The coast guard has asserted that the incident occurred 바카라�due to flooding in one of the holds바카라�.

While releasing a statement on X, the Coast Guard asserted that, 바카라�All 24 crew members of Liberian-flagged container vessel MSC ELSA 3 were rescued safely, 21 by Indian Coast Guard and three by Indian Navy ship, Sujata, after the vessel sank off Kochi this morning. The vessel was carrying 640 containers, including 13 containing hazardous cargo and 12 with calcium carbide. Additionally, the ship had 84.44 metric tonnes of diesel and 367.1 metric tonnes of furnace oil in its tanks.