Flames below deck: The silent threat lurking in cargo holds
This handout photograph taken and released on June 10, 2025 by the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) shows smoke billowing from Singapore-flagged container ship MV Wan Hai 503 that caught fire 78 nautical miles off Beypore port in India's Kerala state. India deployed coast guard aircraft and a warship on June 9 after a Singapore-flagged container ship caught fire off the southern coast, the defence ministry said, with four crew members missing; image credit: AFP
Synopsis
Recent fires on cargo ships transporting hazardous materials have raised serious alarms over crew safety, environmental risks, and the urgent need for stricter enforcement of hazardous cargo regulations. Globally, misdeclared goods, EVs, and lithium-ion batteries are emerging as key culprits behind the rising number of shipboard fires.
By TASLIMA KHAN 8 Mins Read, Jun 17, 2025, 04:55 AM IST
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Water is the primary tool to douse fire. But why do ships floating on ocean waters catch fire? Of late, there seems to be an involvement of hazardous material, especially EVs in some of these fire accidents. Just three days apart, two Singapore-flagged cargo vessels charting similar routes towards Mumbai were hit by fire — one narrowly avoided disaster, the other plunged into crisis. On June 12, a blaze broke out aboard MV Interasia Tenacity,
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