The Coastal police have issued fresh instructions to fishermen, coastal vigilance committees and local fishermen families along the Malabar coast to be alert against the hazardous containers which fell into the sea from Wan Hai 503, the Singapore-flagged cargo vessel that caught fire nearly 88 nautical miles off the Kerala’s Beypore coast on June 9.
Rescue boats of the Coastal police are carrying out continuous patrol to address the safety concerns and instantly attend to suspicious sightings of any consignments adrift. Along with the Coastal police, the Marine Enforcement squads of the Fisheries department are in action to support the surveillance measures. Fisheries department officials confirmed that the sea patrol is being carried out regularly with the support of a five-member squad.
On Thursday, navy personnel airdropped dry chemical powder on the burning cargo ship Wan Hai 503 in a bid to arrest the fire that's been raging for over two days.
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“We have asked the fishermen who venture out to the seas on country boats and boats fitted with on-board engines during this trawling ban period to be cautious. The biggest relief is that all mechanised boats are back to the shores in the wake of the trawling ban,” said a senior Fisheries department official.
