Indian police file charges in wake of Wan Hai 503 blaze

Following two back-to-back maritime disasters off the coast of Kerala, police in India have filed criminal cases against the owner, captain, and crew of the Wan Hai 503, a Singapore-flagged container ship that caught fire at sea on June 9. This action comes on the heels of a similar case registered recently in connection with the sinking of the MSC Elsa 3 near Kochi.

The Wan Hai 503 incident drew widespread attention after the vessel, carrying over 1,700 containers—including more than 140 with hazardous cargo—suffered a series of explosions and caught fire while transiting from Colombo to Mumbai. The Indian Coast Guard and Navy mounted a large-scale firefighting and rescue operation, managing to evacuate 18 of the 22 crewmembers onboard. The fire-wrecked ship has since been towed further away from the coastline. 

On Tuesday, a body believed to be one of the missing crewmembers was found washed ashore in Alappuzha. This followed the discovery on Monday of a lifeboat and a container from the Wan Hai 503 on the same stretch of coastline. Police are working to confirm the identity of the deceased and are circulating the information through official channels.

The case against the Wan Hai 503’s owners mirrors legal proceedings already underway related to the MSC Elsa 3, a container vessel that sank off Kochi last month. In that case, the Kerala Coastal Police also registered charges against the responsible parties, citing negligence and lapses in safety compliance.