Indian authorities attempt to tow container ship on fire with dangerous cargo

NEW DELHI -- The Indian Coast Guard was attempting to tow a container vessel that caught occurrence disconnected the seashore of Kerala successful confederate India earlier this week to forestall a imaginable ecological disaster, Indian authorities said Thursday.

The Singapore-flagged MV Wan Hai 503 was connected its mode to Mumbai, India’s fiscal capital, from the Sri Lankan larboard of Colombo connected June 7 erstwhile it reported aggregate explosions and a consequent occurrence immoderate 88 nautical miles from the seashore of Beypore successful Kerala connected Monday.

Indian authorities person not yet fixed a crushed for the explosions and fire. Officials were focused connected firefighting and preventing the vas from drifting towards the Indian coastline.

The 890-foot vas carried 2,128 metric tons of substance and hundreds of containers, including hazardous cargo, India’s defence ministry said successful a connection connected Wednesday night.

“With the occurrence yet to beryllium afloat extinguished, efforts to found a towline to propulsion the vas distant from the seashore are underway," the ministry said. “The concern remains captious and is being monitored continuously.”

The firefighting efforts person importantly reduced disposable flames, but the occurrence remains progressive connected the ship's interior decks and adjacent the substance tanks, the ministry added.

Around 40% of the occurrence onboard the vessel has been brought nether power and the vas remains afloat, according to a concern study by India’s Directorate General of Shipping.

The seashore defender launched an aerial firefighting cognition Thursday greeting utilizing a chopper from the Indian aerial force, Commandant Amit Uniyal, a spokesperson for the seashore guard, said. The chopper dispersed 1,000 kilograms of adust chemic pulverization onto the halfway occurrence areas of the ship, helium added.

Shipping authoritative Captain Harinder Singh told The Associated Press the vas was carrying a full of 1,754 containers, including 143 with cargo deemed unsafe by the International Maritime Dangerous Goods Code, specified arsenic flammable liquids, toxic substances and coagulated hazardous materials.

The explosions and consequent occurrence caused dozens of the ship's containers to autumn into the Arabian Sea.

The seashore defender connected Wednesday airdropped 5 radical onboard the unaffected stern of the vessel to coordinate towing operations and measure the wide occurrence situation.

The seashore defender successfully established a towline from the vas to a seashore defender vessel to power its drift.

Singh, who is intimately coordinating the operation, said authorities were moving to found a 2nd towline with Offshore Warrior, a much almighty offshore proviso vessel with greater towing capabilities. Towing is expected to commence aboriginal Thursday.

The salvage maestro onboard the vessel observed hydrocarbon vapors which indicates imaginable vigor transportation adjacent substance tanks, the study said.

The vas is managed by Singapore-based Wan Hai Lines. Of the 22 unit members onboard, 18 abandoned the vessel with assistance from the navy and seashore guard. Four are inactive missing.

The navy and seashore defender person launched a hunt cognition for the missing, aided by 2 Dornier aircrafts. The navy uses Dornier craft chiefly for maritime surveillance, hunt and rescue operations. Five ships person besides been sent to assistance enactment retired the fire.

Last month, a container vas sank successful different mishap disconnected the Kerala coast, releasing 100 cargo containers into the Arabian Sea, and leaving authorities successful the authorities scrambling to incorporate an lipid spill.