Vessel Fire Off Kochi: 5-Agency Panel To Investigate Singapore-Flagged Ship Incident-OxBig News Network

A day after a fire broke out on the upper deck of the Singapore-flagged container vessel, a multi-agency team has been set up to investigate the incident. 

This multi-agency team will include officials from the DG Shipping Department, Coast Guard, Port, Customs and Kerala Police, as per sources.

On June 9, the Singapore-flagged cargo vessel, WAN HAI 503, caught fire approximately 70 nautical miles off the Kerala coast.

According to sources, this multi-agency team will investigate why the fire broke out so suddenly on the ship, which damaged more than 1000 containers loaded on the ship.

The help of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) can also be taken in the coming days for the investigation, the source added. 

So far, four crew members are missing in this accident while 22 have been rescued. According to the information received so far in this accident, 1015 containers have fallen from the ship, which contain dangerous chemicals, which can be fatal if spread.

This is the second incident of a cargo ship accident on the Kerala coast in 2 months. This high-level team will also investigate this aspect.