After Two Weeks, Fire Continues Amidst Stability Concerns for Wan Hai 503
The Indian Directorate General of Shipping reports that two weeks after the fire first began on the containership Wan Hai 503, pockets of fire remain, and there has been a reignition in one area. They are meeting this week to advance the plans for the vessel to finally be moved to a refuge port, as concerns are increasing over the stability of the containership.
Teams had been making progress with the fire largely extinguished, so that a salvage team had been able to board the vessel and begin inspections. One of the goals is to start the emergency generator on the vessel to aid with the firefighting efforts and possibly navigation if they proceed to a port.
The ship is currently being held 70 nautical miles offshore with two towlines attached to the offshore tug Ocean Warrior. Some consideration was being given over the weekend to move the vessel to a position 200 nautical miles offshore, but the Directorate says plans to reposition the vessel would depend on stability surveys.
They are recording water ingress into the stern of the vessel, including the engine room. The aft draft has increased by approximately 30 cm, with reports of engine room flooding. On June 23, they were planning a diving operation to examine the hull looking for the source of flooding and the possibility of using submersible pumps in an effort to dewater the stern areas.
Another concern is that the fire reignited in Bay 14 with black smoke. Other areas, including Bays 4 to 9 and Bays 37 to 39, have light gray smoke. Hotspots have been identified, and they are continuing firefighting and regional cooling.
Weather also continues to be a concern with moderate to rough seas and squalls. They are experiencing 14 to 16 knot winds, and with the towlines, the vessel continues to drift at 1.3 knots. Four vessels remain at the site conducting thermal imaging and firefighting.
A meeting was planned for Tuesday, June 24, to discuss plans to move the vessel to Hambantota, Sri Lanka, which was selected as the preferred refuge port. India’s ports have refused to accept the ship. Earlier discussions had considered towing the hulk to Jebel Ali, Bahrain, or Colombo. Planning is considering routing and weather conditions, with the Directorate reporting if there were signs of worsening stability, the emergency relocation will be executed without delay.
Investigators reported that the vessel’s VDR has been retrieved and is being brought ashore. They have scheduled June 26 for a meeting to retrieve the data under supervision and with a witness from the P&I Club.
Indian is investigating the loading of the cargo and possible misdeclaration or efforts to conceal hazardous materials. They are also looking at the crew’s handling of the cargo and the fire.