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Salvage of Fire-Damaged Wan Hai 503 Faces Operational Challenges

fire-damaged containership
Wan Hai 503 pictured in mid-July after the fire was extinguished (DGS India)

Published Oct 27, 2025 4:50 PM by The Maritime Executive


More than a month after the fire-damaged containership Wan Hai 503 was granted permission for entry into its port of refuge, the owners, Wan Hai, report slow progress in the operation. The company highlighted some of the operational challenges for the salvage operation in its latest update.

The fire began on June 9 while the containership was approximately 54 nautical miles west of India in the Arabian Sea. Unable to control the fire, the captain made the decision to abandon the vessel, with 18 crewmembers saved and four reported as missing. The fire would burn for weeks, and even after it was reduced to smoldering, there was a long search for a port of refuge.

The ship was towed to the port of Jebel Ali, where it was granted permission to enter on September 11. An initial inspection showed stability and structural integrity were secure.

Wan Hai reports that as of October 18, a total of 356 containers have been unloaded in the ongoing operation. A further 1,366 remain aboard the vessel. Pictures showed that the containers forward of the deckhouse were exposed to the fire, with the area around Hold 4 heavily damaged. A smaller number of containers on the stern appeared to have been shielded by the deckhouse from the fire.

 

Picture from July 2025 showing the damage near the epicenter of the fire (DGS India)

 

The company reports that salvage teams found that the steel plates and securing structures for the containers in the main fire area had severely melted. Hatch covers had deformed due to the extreme heat. They are having to use specialized cutting techniques to open these sections of the ship.

Each container must be individually secured with slings to be lifted ashore. Many of the containers had deformed or collapsed. In addition, they report that the teams are having to deal with burnt debris and scrap materials. This requires heavy machinery for collection and transfer using flatbed trucks.

Wan Hai says the operation is being carefully supervised by salvage professionals to ensure the safety and efficiency. It is continuing to overcome the challenges and is actively working to accelerate the unloading process, while highlighting that safety remains the priority.