Container fire on freight ship near Victoria is largely under control, Coast Guard says

“We just got a Coast Guard helicopter and the majority of the fire is almost extinguished. What we are still seeing is smoldering, but we cannot see any burning or charring from adjacent containers,” JJ Brickett said.

He said response vessels spent the night cooling the boat’s hull with water, but responders could not extinguish the flames directly from the chemicals in the cargo.

“What they were trying to do was let the fire go out… while trying to keep everything around it cool,” he said.

According to the Canadian Coast Guard, two of the burning containers on the ship’s deck contained hazardous materials identified as potassium amylxanthate, which are listed as “reactive flammable materials” by the Canadian Hazardous Materials Information System. used at work.

Brickett said Monday that firefighters will specifically assess the ship for any remaining hazardous material.

“Basically, from corner to corner, they’ll look to see if there’s a continuous fire, which is still smoldering, and go from there,” he said.

Storm forecast for the region

In anticipation of the severe windstorm forecast for the region on Sunday, Brickett said crews stationed on board and outside the ship are monitoring it to make sure it doesn’t move overnight.

“In the unlikely event that she moves her anchor, we have plenty of rescue tugs… and precautions are taken on board so that the towing can actually be done very quickly,” he said.

In a statement, ZIM Integrated Shipping Services, which operates the 13-year-old vessel, said on Friday it “had encountered very difficult weather conditions.”

“The ship reported dozens of containers that fell overboard,” and several other containers caught fire, the company said.

“Most of the crew members were evacuated from the ship, and a few remained on board to assist in the firefighting efforts. All crew members are declared unharmed… Our main concern is the crew safety and prevention of environmental impact. “

The Victoria Joint Rescue and Coordination Center said 16 crew members were safely removed from the ship, while five others, including the captain, remained on board at their own request.

Canadian Coast Guard spokesperson Michelle Imbeau said a Coast Guard-led incident command post on behalf of the federal and British Columbia governments, as well as First Nations representatives, was coordinating a multi-agency response to the incident.

The incident began on Saturday when U.S. officials reported about 40 containers adrift in the ocean off Washington state after they fell overboard the ship.

WATCH | Crew evacuated from ship after fire:

Crew members evacuated from freighter off British Columbia coast after fire

The Canadian Coast Guard said it received a report on Saturday of a fire at two damaged containers aboard the freighter MV Zim Kingston near Victoria. The ship was bound for Vancouver. 2:38

Brickett said the location of some of the containers is being monitored and will be picked up by a salvage company hired by the ship’s owners.

But efforts to recover them can only begin after the predicted storm, he said.

“One of the objectives of the response is to 100 [per cent] responsibility for all these containers – where they are, what happened to them, what was in them. And to the extent that we can, how can we get them back, ”Brickett said.

Containers still floating

With high winds in the area, the US Coast Guard said they would continue to monitor containers that fell overboard on Friday and mitigate the possibility of a ship entering the area and creating more challenges.

“I have not yet been informed if there is a plan for the US Coast Guard to assist with the recovery,” Officer Diolanda Caballero told CBC News.

“For now, we are working to monitor containers that are afloat and continue to make sure they are away from browsers.”

The Canadian Coast Guard, meanwhile, said it was working through the Emergency Management BC network to disseminate public safety information as needed.