Kochi: The cargo ship Wan Hai 503, which caught fire in the Arabian Sea, has been towed 45 nautical miles off the Kerala coast. The rescue team, which landed on the ship using the Navy helicopter, braved challenging sea and weather conditions and completed the adventurous mission.

Initially, the vessel had drifted 20 nautical miles closer to the coast. Authorities prioritised moving it to deeper waters, over 1,000 meters deep, for safety.

The mission team was transported to the ship by the Navy's Sea King helicopter from INS Garuda in Kochi. Then, the ship was towed by a rope attached to the tugboat Water Lily.

ICGS Saksham, Vikram, Samarth, and Navy's INS Sharda and OSV Triton Liberty also participated in the rescue operation.

The fire on the ship, Wan Hai 503, is still under control. The ship caught fire on 7 June, 44 nautical miles off the coast of Azhikkal.

Rent dispute: Navy intervenes

The towing operation, which was halted due to a rental dispute between the ship owner and the tugboat authorities, resumed after the Navy intervened. The tugboat owner had demanded a higher rate for using a metal cable instead of a regular rope. When the towing operation was halted due to the dispute, the ship moved closer to the Kerala coast, and the Navy intervened. The Navy stated that if the dispute was not resolved, it would make arrangements to tow the ship.