Singapore-flagged vessel fire off Kerala coast: Pollution risk assessment warns of future shoreline impact from lost containers

The International Tanker Owners Pollution Federation (ITOPF) submitted a container‑risk assessment to the National Green Tribunal after the Singapore‑flagged container ship Wan Hai 503 erupted in fire and explosion off Kerala’s coast on 9 June 2025. The tribunal, acting suo motu, required the ship’s registered owners to provide a comprehensive account of the cargo and its potential environmental effects, and the report was presented before the Southern Bench of the tribunal.

At the time of the incident the vessel was carrying roughly 1,754 containers, many of which were later recovered after the ship was towed to Jebel Ali in the United Arab Emirates on 24 August 2025. The assessment categorised the cargo as miscellaneous goods, plastic resins and pellets, food items, and inorganic chemicals. While ITOPF concluded that the cargo does not pose an immediate significant threat to the marine environment, it cautioned that corrosion or loss of container integrity over decades could release pollutants and lead to shoreline impacts.

The incident follows two shipwrecks off Kerala in 2025, including the MSC Elsa 3, prompting the Kerala State Pollution Control Board to launch remedial measures and draft an Oil Spill Contingency Plan that maps environmentally sensitive zones along the coast. Experts such as A. Biju Kumar, Vice‑Chancellor of the Kerala University of Fisheries and Ocean Studies, highlighted the risk that plastic nurdles and pellets could wash ashore, endangering marine fauna and disrupting food chains. The assessment underscores the long‑term monitoring needs for coastal communities and marine ecosystems in the region.