The fire aboard the Singapore-flagged MV Wan Hai 503, a cargo ship carrying 2,240 tonnes of fuel and 1,754 containers, has sparked serious concerns as the blaze is yet to be extinguished.

A colossal risk looms on the Kerala coast as many of these containers, with highly hazardous materials, could drift ashore.

According to the cargo manifest released by the authorities, of the 1,754 containers onboard, 671 are on the ship’s deck, and 157 of them have been identified as having extremely hazardous materials.

A day after the shipwreck, it was found that the vessel’s dangerous contents include flammable solids and liquids, approximately 21,600kg of resin solution, and 20,000kg of environmentally hazardous materials, including nitrocellulose used for ammunition.

On Monday, it was revealed that the cargo had a sizable quantity of gunpowder. The authorities have been unable to douse the raging fire because of the presence of different types of acids, alcohol mixtures, naphthalene and disinfectants. But the most challenging situation has been that the vessel is carrying 2,240 tonnes of fuel.

The Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS) has issued
an alert for the coast of Kerala because of the potential oil and debris spillage from the ship. The India Meteorological Department has said that in the next two days, the southwest monsoon is expected to gain momentum in Kerala. An oil slick is projected to travel parallel to the Kerala coastline.

Dr Grinson George, director of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research-Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute in Kochi, said: “With the trawling ban coming into effect on Monday midnight, only traditional boats had ventured into the sea. Since the cargo vessel is still in fumes, the fishermen in the Kochi-Kozhikode stretch have not identified any oil spill or fish mortality as of Tuesday.”