About eight kilometers off the coast of the Canadian province of British Columbia, a fire broke out on the Zim Kingston. The container ship caught fire on October 23, but it was not possible to extinguish the fire quickly due to the chemicals it was carrying on board.
Canadian Coast Guard reportedthat a special group was created to monitor the situation.
An emergency zone has been created within a two nautical mile (3.7 km) radius of the vessel as firefighting operations continue.
Coastguards say there is currently no danger to people ashore, and 16 crew members have been evacuated from the ship.
For the record, this was my first music video of the #ZimKingston on fire yesterday in the Strait of Juan de Fuca. It was shot at 4:04 p.m. PDT on Saturday, October 23, 2021. pic.twitter.com/qXZzzdxWNV
– Gerald Graham (@SalishSeaFuture) 24 October 2021
Rescuers were mobilized both to extinguish the fire and to work with containers that became detached from the ship. US officials said about 40 containers sailed in the ocean off Washington state after falling overboard from a ship.
The rescue operation was complicated by the fact that on October 24 a storm and strong wind were forecast in the area of the fire.
#UPDATE: Image captured of containers located from US Coast Guard Air Station Port Angeles helicopter. pic.twitter.com/jOr1bbdnW3
– USCGPacificNorthwest (@USCGPacificNW) 23 October 2021
Canadian rescuers said that due to the nature of the chemicals the ship was carrying, water cannot be supplied directly to the fire. Therefore, during the night, they cooled the hull of the boat with water from the outside.
Cypriot company Danaos Shipping, which operates the vessel, said Radio-Canada Newsthat the fire appears to have been contained.
#CCGLive: During the night the tug Seaspan Raven cooled the hull of the M / V #ZimKingston spraying the shell with cold water. Due to the nature of the chemicals on board the container ship, applying water directly to the fire is not an option. pic.twitter.com/9zUMq53wyq
– Canadian Coast Guard (@CoastGuardCAN) 24 October 2021
However, as a result of the fire, toxic substances began to be released into the air. The smoke from the ship is now being monitored at air quality monitoring stations and local health authorities are receiving these results.
All fires produce toxic substances. Incident Command has detailed information on the chemicals that were on fire and are now smoldering in the containers aboard the #ZimKingston. pic.twitter.com/jtjhlJ1zAa
– Canadian Coast Guard (@CoastGuardCAN) 24 October 2021
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