Kerala launches app to report shipwreck debris as 65 containers wash ashore

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan announced that the State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA) has launched a web application to collect information about objects found on land and at sea in connection with the recent shipwreck off the state’s coast.

The application will help collect key details from citizens including the name of the person who discovered the object, their mobile number, a description of the object, its location or nearest landmark, and photos.

The initiative comes as 65 containers from the Singapore-flagged container vessel Wan Hai 503, which caught fire off the Beypore coast, on June 9, have been found along Kerala’s shoreline.

Among the recovered materials, 21 barrels were found in the Vizhinjam and Kovalam areas of Thiruvananthapuram district and have been moved to secure storage at Vizhinjam port. Two more barrels, believed to be related to the shipwreck, washed ashore in Alappad in Kollam district and Kumbala Koippadi in Kasaragod district.

The container ship Wan Hai 503 has now been moved 57 nautical miles away from the Kerala coast, with efforts ongoing to tow it further. However, reports indicate that fire and smoke are still present onboard.

According to the Indian Coast Guard, more containers may drift ashore in the southern parts of Ernakulam and along the Alappuzha and Kollam coasts. Authorities have warned the public not to approach or touch any suspicious objects they may find on the shore. People are advised to stay at least 200 meters away and immediately call the emergency number 112 to inform the SDMA.

On May 25, a Liberian-flagged container vessel MSC ELSA 3 completely sank 14.6 nautical miles off Kerala’s Thottappalli spillway, prompting a large-scale pollution response by the Indian Coast Guard.

The sunken vessel was carrying 640 containers, including 13 classified as hazardous and 12 containing calcium carbide. It also had 84.44 metric tonnes of diesel and 367.1 metric tonnes of furnace oil on board.