Fire on shipping container near Victoria expected to continue burning for days

Posted October 27, 2021 6:07 am.

Last Updated October 27, 2021 1:06 pm.

Editor’s Note: This article has been updated to include a Canadian Coast Guard update that 106 cargo containers went overboard, rather than 40 previously reported by Danaos Shipping.

The fire aboard a container ship that is burning about eight kilometres from the coast off Victoria is expected to continue smouldering at least for another several days, according to the Canadian Coast Guard.

The agency says crews continue to work to fully suppress the fire, which, on Sunday, had been described as “stabilized.”

#CCGLive – A Coast Guard overflight of the #ZimKingston at 11:30 today shows smoldering but no visible flames in the containers. However, firefighters may find some active fire in the containers once they are able to board the ship. pic.twitter.com/PHjfjf6Fg7

— Canadian Coast Guard (@CoastGuardCAN) October 25, 2021

There are at least five fires that continue to burn to some degree in damaged containers believed to be storing tires on the Greek-registered Zim Kingston.

On Tuesday, the coast guard reported six firefighters were able to board the ship Monday night, along with seven crew members from the vessel itself.

The agency noted air monitoring readings taken Monday at 32 sites “were all below detection limits.” The monitoring was done as the region was hit by a major storm.

Danaos Shipping, which owns the ship, says the trouble began when containers fell into the water as the ship approached Vancouver in choppy waters. Two containers on the vessel were reported to have caught fire after that happened.

The Canadian Coast Guard says 106 cargo containers went overboard.

Related Article: More than 100 containers fell off cargo ship on fire near Victoria

Danaos says it is cooperating with Canadian officials and has contracted a firefighting company to help out.

Some of the burning containers on the deck held 52,000 kilograms of a hazardous material identified as potassium amyl xanthate, the coast guard previously said. That led to environmental and other concerns, with the ship being near the coastline off Vancouver Island.

The coast guard says next steps once the fire is fully out include securing the dozens of containers.

“Environmental experts will monitor this work; and we are ready to respond to any potential #MarinePollution,” reads a tweet.

#CCGLive: What happens once the fire is fully extinguished on the #ZimKingston? Salvage experts will secure the containers; environmental experts will monitor this work; and we are ready to respond to any potential #MarinePollution. pic.twitter.com/WWDhIny5KE

— Canadian Coast Guard (@CoastGuardCAN) October 26, 2021

Only when the ship is secure will Transport Canada members inspect the ship. The boat will then be sent to a port so it can be unloaded and further inspected.

“There may be changes to this process depending on the results of each step,” the coast guard wrote Tuesday.

It notes the owner of the ship is working with responders to find the containers that fell overboard. However, continued stormy weather has hindered those efforts so far.

Since the containers fell, they’ve been tracked moving northward along the west coast of Vancouver Island and some have been spotted off Cape Scott on the northern tip of the island.

The coast guard says it’s possible some may wash up on the beach.

“Due to the hazardous contents of some of the containers, members of the public are advised to avoid opening or moving them & call 1-800-889-8852 immediately.”

#CCGLive: The owner of the #ZimKingston is working with Incident Command to find & recover the containers, but ongoing stormy weather and large swells continue to complicate their recovery. Modelling shows that the containers may reach #CapeScott on Northern Vancouver Island. pic.twitter.com/T5tOLajLEd

— Canadian Coast Guard (@CoastGuardCAN) October 26, 2021

With files from The Canadian Press

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