Cargo ship catches fire near Victoria: Coast Guard
Posted October 23, 2021 5:32 pm.
Last Updated October 23, 2021 10:35 pm.
A cargo vessel that lost over 40 of its containers near Vancouver Island on Friday caught fire on Saturday, the United States Coast Guard reported.
The Canadian Coast Guard said it was monitoring the fire but as of Saturday afternoon, had not released any information about what may have caused it. They received the report after two of the damaged containers caught fire.
Canadian Coast Guard tells me it got reports of the fire in the damaged containers at 11 a.m. The vessel is anchored in Constance Bank. “A joint agency response is being coordinated to assess and assist as required.” Details on @CityNewsVAN throughout the day. https://t.co/hYTCYJSth7
— Sonia Aslam (@SoniaSAslam) October 23, 2021
The ship, named MV Zim Kingston, was travelling through the Strait of Juan de Fuca. It’s still anchored in Constance Banknear Victoria as Canadian and American officials work together on damage control.
It lost cargo about 69 kilometres west of Vancouver Island in the afternoon, after tipping to one side in rough weather.
No information has been released to the public about potential pollution hazards or the safety of the crew.
In the 45 or so minutes we’ve been watching the fire aboard container ship the #ZimKingston near Victoria it’s gone from a small plume to a very large fire. pic.twitter.com/m1NgJvkSeK
— Lloyd Mildon (@LloydMildon) October 23, 2021
Coast Guard’s Victoria station lifeboat Cape Calvert is standing by near the Zim Kingston to assess the unfolding situation and as a safety vessel.
A joint agency response is being coordinated to assess and assist as required.
