The Indian Coast Guard and the International Tanker Owners Pollution Federation (ITOPF) on Saturday issued a public alert regarding containers that fell overboard from the cargo vessel Wan Hai 503.
According to their assessment, these containers may begin washing ashore along the southern parts of Ernakulam district and the coastal stretches of Alappuzha and Kollam between June 16 and June 18, 2025.
The authorities have strongly advised the public not to touch or approach any suspicious objects found along the shore, especially if they appear to have come from the vessel. The public should maintain a minimum distance of 200 metres from such items for safety.
If any such objects are spotted, the public is urged to immediately call the emergency helpline 112 and report the exact location of the sighting.
Meanwhile, Indian Coast continued its firefighting on Saturday with eight ICG ships currently on deployment, five days after a fire onboard a Singapore-flagged cargo vessel that occurred following a container explosion off the Kerala coast.
Additionally, an offshore patrol vessel of the ICG is carrying out mid-sea refuelling of a salvage tug to sustain towing operation, they said.
The ICG on Friday said that it had achieved a “major milestone” in the ongoing operation to suppress fire onboard cargo vessel MV Wan Hai 503, which occurred following a container explosion on June 9 as its towing commenced to keep the ship away from the coast.
On Saturday, the relentless firefighting operations continued.
“Eight ICG ships — Sachet, Samarth, Saksham, Samudra Prahari, Vikram, Rajdoot, Kasturba Gandhi and Arnvesh — are participating in the firefighting operations,” Spokesperson, Coast Guard, Comdt Amit Uniyal, said.