FIRST IT DUMPED CARGO THEN CAUGHT FIRE
Canadian Coast Guard says monitoring container ship fire


Canadian Coast Guard says monitoring container ship fireFire cascades down from the deck of the container ship ZIM Kingston into the waters off the coast of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada

Sat, October 23, 2021

(Reuters) - The Canadian Coast Guard said it is monitoring a fire that broke out on a container ship off the coast of Victoria, British Columbia, and is working with the U.S. Coast Guard to assess the situation.

"The Canadian Coast Guard received a report around 11am this morning from the MV Zim Kingston that a fire has broken out in the damaged containers onboard," it said in a statement late on Saturday.

The Canadian Coast Guard says they received a call around 11 a.m. PT on Saturday about a fire that had broken out on two of the damaged containers on board the container ship Zim Kingston. (Canadian Coast Guard)

According https://bit.ly/3puEoiy to CBC News, 10 crew members have been evacuated, while 11 members remained onboard. Six containers are ablaze in total, it said.

The report added that the vessel is said to be carrying more than 52,000 kg of xanthates - chemicals used in the mining industry - which includes potassium amylxanthate. 

The compound is classified by the U.S. government as "spontaneously combustible".

Potassium amylxanthate is considered an irritant and an environmental hazard.

Video obtained by Reuters showed fire cascading down from the deck of the ship into the water.

A joint agency response is being coordinated to provide assistance, the Canadian Coast Guard said, adding that an assessment is being made to determine the pollution hazards from the containers.

The bulk carrier M/V Zim Kingston reported on Friday that it had encountered rough weather west of the Strait of Juan de Fuca. The United States Coast Guard said in a tweet about 40 containers from the vessel had fallen overboard.

The Zim Kingston is pictured burning on Saturday afternoon. (CHEK News)

A fire broke out on a cargo ship after about 40 shipping containers fell overboard due to rough seas off the coast of Vancouver Island

Kelsey Vlamis
Sat, October 23, 2021

Imagery captured of located containers from U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Port Angeles helicopter. US Coast Guard

Around 40 shipping containers went overboard when a cargo ship hit rough seas on Friday.

A fire broke out Saturday on the same ship, the Zim Kingston, while anchored near Vancouver Island.

US and Canadian officials are monitoring the situation, including some containers with "hazardous materials."

A fire broke out Saturday on a cargo ship, known as the Zim Kingston, that had lost around 40 shipping containers off the coast of Canada's Vancouver Island the day before, officials said.

The US Coast Guard said in a tweet Friday they were monitoring adrift shipping containers that went overboard after an inbound vessel en route to Canada encountered rough seas. Photos shared by the coast guard showed some of the shipping containers afloat in the open ocean.

The US Coast Guard said Friday 35 floating containers had been located. As of Saturday, five had still not been located, and officials were warning other vessels to be extremely cautious in the area as the containers "may be partially submerged and not visible," the Vancouver Sun reported.


The Canadian Coast Guard told the outlet some of the containers that fell held hazardous materials, and that the agency would assess for any "pollution threats and hazards."

A day after the containers fell from the Zim Kingston, a fire broke out on the ship while it was anchored near Victoria, according to the Canadian Coast Guard. The agency told CHEK News reporter Jasmine Bala the fire started in damaged containers that were still onboard.



The Canadian Coast Guard told Bala two of the six containers that are on fire contain "hazardous material." They also said 10 crew members were evacuated while 11 remain on the ship, with no reports of injuries.

In a warning to other vessels, the Canadian Coast Guard established an emergency zone around the Zim Kingston, saying: "The ship is on fire and expelling toxic gas. Two fallen containers are floating in the vicinity of the vessel. Caution."