Taiwan Thanks India For Rescuing 18 Crew Members From Burning Cargo Ship Off Kerala Coast

Taiwan on Wednesday extended its gratitude to India for rescuing 18 crew members from the Singapore-flagged cargo vessel WAN HAI 503, which caught fire approximately 70 nautical miles off the coast of Kerala.

Of the 22 crew on board, 18 were saved after jumping into the sea, while four others – part of the ship’s Fire and Safety Department – remain unaccounted for. Efforts are ongoing to trace the missing personnel.

The Taipei Economic and Cultural Centre in India confirmed that the missing crew include two Taiwanese nationals, one Indonesian, and one from Myanmar.

Taking to X, Taipei Economic and Cultural Centre in India posted, “The Taiwan Government is grateful for the swift rescue operation provided by the Indian Navy and Coast Guard to Wan Hai 503. We wish the missing crew members return safe and the injured recover soon.”

Providing more details, the Chinese Embassy spokesperson Yu Jing posted, “On June 9, MV Wan Hai 503 encountered onboard explosion and fire 44 nautical miles off Azhikkal, Kerala. Of the total 22 crew members on board, 14 are Chinese, including 6 from Taiwan. Our gratitude goes to the Indian Navy @indiannavy and the Mumbai Coast Guard for their prompt and professional rescue. We wish further search operations successful and the injured crew members speedy recovery.”

Taiwan rejects Chinese claim over crew’s nationality

Meanwhile, Chinese Embassy spokesperson Yu Jing had also expressed appreciation towards India’s efforts. She stated that 14 of the crew were Chinese nationals, including two from Taiwan.

Reacting strongly, Taiwan dismissed the Chinese claim, calling it ‘false and absurd’.

The Taipei Economic and Cultural Centre responded firmly, noting, “The Chinese Embassy’s claim is false and absurd. We reiterate hereby that the ROC (Taiwan) and the PRC are not subordinate to one other and that the CCP regime has never ever governed Taiwan. Only Taiwan’s democratically elected government has the right to represent its people.”

The 270-meter-long cargo ship, which had a draught of 12.5 meters, departed from Colombo on 7 June and was en route to Mumbai when the incident occurred.

On Monday, the Indian Navy, in coordination with the Indian Coast Guard, DG Shipping, and other maritime agencies, launched a high-priority Search and Rescue (SAR) operation.

The Navy later confirmed that the fire resulted from an internal container explosion.

The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) also expressed appreciation for India’s rapid response and support in the ongoing rescue mission.

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