Crew members rescued as container ship burns off B.C. coast
A cargo ship was burning in the waters south of Victoria on Saturday, hours after the vessel dropped 40 shipping containers into the ocean west of Vancouver Island.
The coast guard was notified of the fire aboard the Zim Kingston around 11 a.m. Saturday.
Ten crew members were rescued from the vessel before 6 p.m. while six others were removed approximately an hour later, leaving five crew aboard overnight, according to a spokesperson for the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre in Victoria.
"The crew is mustered near their own lifeboats but the master hasn't made the call yet to abandon ship," said JRCC spokesperson Lt. Pamela Hogan.
No injuries had been reported Saturday evening.
The fire was sparked inside two containers of hazardous and readily combustible material that were damaged when the ship was tossed by rising seas Friday afternoon, according to the coast guard.
"Crew tried to put it out earlier today but they couldn’t do it themselves," Hogan said.
By late Saturday evening, 10 containers were burning, including two containers of potassium amyl xanthate, a chemical compound used in the mining industry, the coast guard said.
The Malta-flagged vessel was inbound for Vancouver when it listed to one side, dropping the containers into the ocean near the mouth of the Strait of Juan de Fuca.
The coast guard responds to the fire aboard the Zim Kingston off Victoria. (CTV News)
"The situation is evolving," coast guard spokesperson Michelle Imbeau said Saturday evening. "Coast guard has been standing by making sure life and limb are OK."
Two coast guard vessels and an auxiliary firefighting vessel have been monitoring the ship and its burning cargo. Flames and heavy smoke were visible from the Victoria shoreline throughout the day.
"When the crew has evacuated, when there are no people left on the vessel, then they'll do some oceanside firefighting," Hogan said.
Coast guard officials from both Canada and the United States issued warnings to mariners to keep clear of the Zim Kingston due to the danger of smoke and falling cargo.
A Transport Canada surveillance plane circled the smouldering vessel for much of the day Saturday.
The containers were adrift approximately 69 kilometres west of Vancouver Island just before 3 p.m. Friday, according to U.S. officials. (USCG)
The U.S. Coast Guard Navigation Center sent out a broadcast to mariners Friday afternoon warning that the lost shipping containers may be partially submerged and not easily visible from the ocean's surface.
"Mariners should exercise extreme caution" when transiting the region, the centre warned.
The Canadian Coast Guard also sent out a notice on NavWarn about the debris drifting approximately 69 kilometres west of Vancouver Island.
Eight of the lost containers had been located Friday evening, according to a spokesperson for the U.S. Coast Guard's 13th District in Seattle, Wash.
At least two of the lost containers contain hazardous materials that could spontaneously combust, the spokesperson said.
The District of Tofino warned ocean-goers to "take extreme caution" due to the drifting containers over the weekend, saying on its Twitter account that the coast guard was monitoring the containers off the west side of the island.
"Some of these containers contain hazardous materials," the district said. "If spotted, please avoid and do not approach."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Canadian gov't proposes new foreign influence registry as part of wide-spanning new bill
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government is proposing a suite of new measures and law changes aimed at countering foreign interference in Canada, amid extensive scrutiny over past meddling attempts and an ever-evolving threat landscape.
Boeing Starliner capsule's first crewed test flight postponed
The long-awaited first crewed test flight of Boeing's new Starliner space capsule was called off for at least 24 hours over a technical issue that launch teams were unable to resolve in time for the planned Monday night lift-off.
Teacher charged in historical sexual assault of Calgary teenage girl
Calgary police have charged a teacher with the alleged sexual assault of a teenage girl more than 20 years ago.
Winnipeg man admits to killing four women, argues he's not criminally responsible
Defence lawyers of Jeremy Skibicki have admitted in court the accused killed four Indigenous women, but argues he is not criminally responsible for the deaths by way of mental disorder – this latest development has triggered a judge-alone trial rather than a jury trial.
Man banned from owning animals after fatal Calgary dog attack
The owner of three Calgary dogs that got loose and mauled a woman to death in 2022 has been ordered to pay a $15,000 fine within one year and banned from owning any animal for 15 years.
East-end Ottawa family dealing with massive rat infestation
Residents in Ottawa’s Elmridge Gardens complex are dealing with a rat infestation that just won’t go away. Now, after doing everything they can to try to fix the issue, they are pleading with the city to step in and help.
Mediterranean staple may lower your risk of death from dementia, study finds
A daily spoonful of olive oil could lower your risk of dying from dementia, according to a new study by Harvard scientists.
An El Nino-less summer is coming. Here's what that could mean for Canada
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.
Newfoundland and Labrador latest province to tighten rules on Airbnbs
Newfoundland and Labrador is the latest jurisdiction to bring in stricter rules for short-term rentals, with a coming set of regulations that will force operators to register with the provincial government.