Kochi, June 14 -- In a significant development in the salvage operations of MV Wan Hai 503, the vessel's tow was successfully transferred from Indian Coast Guard (ICG) ships to the ocean-going tug Offshore Warrior on 13 June 2025. This shift was essential to progress the operation, as ICG vessels have limited bollard pull - a term denoting the towing capacity of a ship, said ICG.

For the past few days, ICG ships had been maintaining the vessel's position away from the coast. However, sudden deterioration in weather conditions, accompanied by strong westerly winds, caused the vessel to drift rapidly towards the shoreline. The adverse weather restricted aerial operations and delayed the embarkation of the salvage team members onto the vess...