Approximately 40 containers had been lost the day before off the coast of Canada’s Vancouver Island when the cargo ship Zim Kingston caught fire, according to officials. In a tweet on Friday, the US Coast Guard said it was monitoring containers that had gone overboard after an inbound vessel en route to Canada encountered rough seas. Some of the containers were seen floating in the open ocean in photos shared by the coast guard.
35 floating containers were found on Friday, according to the US Coast Guard. According to the Vancouver Sun, five containers still had not been found as of Saturday, and officials warned other vessels to stay out of the area because they were ‘possibly partially submerged and not visible’. Several of the containers that went down held hazardous materials, and the Canadian Coast Guard said it would assess for pollution threats and hazards.
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The Canadian Coast Guard reports that a fire broke out on the ship while it was anchored near Victoria a day after the containers fell from the Zim Kingston. CHEK News reporter Jasmine Bala was told by the agency that the fire started in damaged containers that were still onboard. Canadian Coast Guard officials told Bala two of the six containers on fire contained hazardous materials. They also said 10 crew members have been evacuated, while 11 remain on board, and no injuries have been reported. Canada’s Coast Guard warned other vessels to exercise caution around the Zim Kingston, announcing: ‘The ship is on fire and emitting toxic gas. Two fallen containers are floating near the vessel. Beware’.
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