Cargo Removal Completed Six Months After Fire Damaged Wan Hai 503
After more than three months of salvage operations and approximately six months after the fire was put out on the container vessel Wan Hai 503, owners Wan Hai Lines reported that the removal of cargo from the ship had been completed. While clean-up efforts continue on the ship, which has been berthed at the Port of Refuge in Jebel Ali, United Arab Emirates, it marks a key step in the long process.
The company had highlighted earlier in the month that only a small amount of debris remained in the cargo holds, with most of it being damaged or twisted containers that had been subjected to the brunt of the fire. It had become increasingly difficult to identify individual containers as they are discharged due to their condition after the fire.
They report that a total of 1,696 containers were discharged from the vessel. Most are fire-damaged, as only the stacks that the stern had been shielded by the deckhouse from direct exposure to the fire. The salvage teams had highlighted the challenges of removing each of the boxes as they had to be individually slung and hoisted from the ship to the dock storage area for inspections.
The removal of cargo residue and waste from cargo holds 3 & 4, however, is still ongoing. Wan Hai notes that cargo hold 4 will require additional time due to the large amount of slurry present.
The salvage team has also pumped a total of approximately 11,675 tonnes of firefighting water from the vessel.
The fire began on June 9 in the Indian Ocean while the vessel was 54 nautical miles off the west coast of India. The Indian authorities organized the evacuation of the 22 crewmembers who were aboard. Four individuals, two from Taiwan, and one each from Indonesia and Myanmar, were reported missing, presumed to have died in the explosion and subsequent fire aboard the vessel. Six of the surviving crewmembers were also later transferred to hospitals in India for medical care.
The Indian authorities led the firefighting efforts, fighting the stubborn fire that consumed more than two-thirds of the vessel. Fearing a possible environmental impact, they had ordered the ship towed further out to sea and ultimately refused a port of refuge, leading to a long search. The ship was eventually towed across the Indian Ocean to the UAE, where it arrived in September.
One outcome of the situation has been discussions among the Indian authorities to establish capabilities for a port of refuge. The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) in November proposed that the state government in Paradip establish jetties capable of handling vessels in distress. It is also recommending deploying bigger coast guard vessels at every port in the state.
It was highlighted that in addition to the Wan Hai 503, Indian had faced other situations, including the X-Press Pearl containership that had sought refuge when a dangerous container was found leaking. The Indian ports said they did not have the capabilities, and the container ultimately caught fire, resulting in the newly built ship becoming a major casualty. Government officials highlighted that refuge capabilities would also be important for fishermen in situations such as typhoons.
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