Officials race to tow burning ship away from India coast to prevent 'ecological disaster'

The Indian Coast Guard is trying to tow a burning Singapore-flagged cargo ship away from the coast of Kerala in the Arabian Sea, to prevent "a potential ecological disaster".

The Indian defence ministry on Wednesday said that the situation remains critical and efforts are under way to establish a tow line and pull the vessel away from the coast.

The MV Wan Hai 503, which caught fire on Monday, is carrying 2,128 tonnes of fuel and hundreds of containers - including hazardous cargo - raising environmental concerns.

Although visible flames have significantly reduced following firefighting efforts, the blaze remains active in the inner decks and near the fuel tanks, the ministry said.

It added that five salvage team and an aircrew diver have been sent to help with the towing operation.

"The situation remains critical and is being monitored continuously."

The vessel, which was heading to Mumbai city on India's western coast from Sri Lanka's capital Colombo, caught fire after an internal container explosion.

Eighteen crew have been rescued so far but four others are still missing and a massive rescue operation has been launched to find them.

The Indian Coast Guard said that conditions at sea remain unfavourable and that their priority was to extinguish the fire and prevent a marine disaster.

It has deployed five ships, two aircraft and a helicopter to help douse the fire. A separate salvage team appointed by the ship owner, along with two vessels from the shipping ministry, are also helping with the efforts.

This is the second shipping incident to have happened off Kerala's coast in less than three weeks.

Last month, a Liberian-flagged vessel carrying oil and hazardous cargo leaked and sank in the Arabian Sea, triggering an environmental emergency.

The Kerala state government swiftly banned fishing within a 20-nautical mile radius of the shipwreck and announced compensation for families from fishing communities in four affected districts.

An underwater operation has been launched to cap the ship's oil tank and salvage its fuel.

Manorama News reported that on Wednesday, the Indian Ministry of Ports issued a formal notice to the vessel's management company, warning of legal action if extraction of oil from the ship is not started by Friday.

"The progress made in this operation is grossly inadequate and continues to fall short of the timelines and operational commitments previously provided by the salvors and owners," it said.

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