The fire-damaged Wan Hai 503 is being towed across the Arabian Sea toward the Middle East after spending nearly 11 weeks stranded without a port of refuge, following rejections from both Sri Lanka and India.

The 4,333 teu containership (built 2005) caught fire on June 9 off Kerala, southwest India, after an under-deck explosion. Four of the 22 crew were killed and six injured in the accident. The ship, en route from Colombo to Nhava Sheva, was around 50 nautical miles off the Indian coast at the time.

Despite salvage teams stabilising the vessel and cooling the smouldering cargo holds, authorities in India ordered the vessel out of its exclusive economic zone by late June, while Sri Lanka subsequently refused permission for the boxship to call. The ship spent more than two months in limbo on the high seas while operators sought a safe harbour.

Wan Hai confirmed on August 25 that the Wan Hai 503 is now under tow, with its structural integrity, stability, and draft assessed as safe for the voyage. The company said weather-routing software had been used to map a course across the Arabian Sea. The final port of refuge has not yet been disclosed, though Jebel Ali and Khorfakkan are understood to be under consideration.

“The towage and monitoring will continue under close supervision to ensure a safe and smooth arrival,” the Taiwanese liner said.

The ordeal has drawn comparisons with the Maersk Frankfurt, which in 2023 was also forced to steam across the Arabian Sea to Khorfakkan following a fire off India. Unlike the Wan Hai 503, that vessel remained under its own power.

Sam Chambers