Kochi (Kerala) [India], June 14 (ANI): The Indian Navy undertook a successful aerial insertion in a daring operation of the salvage team which was onboard distressed vessel MV Wan Hai 503 and has been under fire since June 9, according to the Indian Navy.

The salvage team, which embarked on the seeking helicopter at the INS Garuda base in Kochi, was winched down the vessel on June 13 amidst challenging weather conditions and onboard fire.

'In a daring operation, #IndianNavy successfully undertook aerial insertion of the salvage team onboard distressed vessel MV Wan Hai 503, which has been on fire since June 9, 2025. The salvage team, which embarked the Seaking helicopter at INS Garuda, Kochi, was winched down the vessel on June 13, 2025, amidst challenging weather & sea conditions, and fire onboard.

The salvage team connected the tow with the Salvage Tug Offshore Warrior, after which, the salvage team was successfully extracted by Naval helicopter. Towing operations of the vessel has commenced', Indian Navy said in an 'X' post.

The INS Sharda and MV Triton Liberty are actively engaged with the Indian Coast Guard and other maritime agencies to argument special operations.

'INS Sharda and OSV MV Triton Liberty are actively engaged with India Coast Guard & other maritime agencies to augument the salvage ops. This swift insertion & extraction of salvage team by the #IndianNavy has significantly augumented the ongoing salvage efforts', Indian Navy's 'X' post further mentioned.

In a breakthrough, the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) successfully enabled the towing of the fire-stricken Singapore-flagged container vessel MV Wan Hai 503, marking a major milestone in ongoing efforts to control the blaze and protect the marine environment.

The Singapore-flagged container vessel MV Wan Hai 503 has been ablaze in the Arabian Sea, approximately 42 nautical miles off the coast of Beypore, Kerala.

In a post on X, the Indian Coast Guard said, 'Major milestone in the ongoing operation to suppress the fire onboard MV Wah Hai 503 and protect the marine environment! India Coast Guard ships undertaking firefighting operations enabled the tow connection of the Salvage vessel in an extremely challenging and daunting operation.'

'HQSNC tasked the Indian Navy helicopter to winch down salvors who shifted the tow from ICG ships to Salvage Tugs. The tow has now commenced, and the vessel is being pulled to keep away from our coast! ICG fire fighting operation continues,' the post added.

The vessel was carrying 1.2 lakh metric tonnes of fuel and hundreds of containers, including hazardous cargo, posing a serious risk to the marine environment and regional shipping routes. (ANI)