Fire strikes ship in strait
Vessel had already lost 40 shipping containers; most of crew evacuated
A fire on board the container ship Zim Kingston, anchored at Constance Bank off Victoria’s coast, sent billows of smoke into the air for much of Saturday and forced the evacuation of some of its crew. It’s the same ship that lost 40 shipping containers when it listed in rough seas on Friday off the west coast of Vancouver Island.
The Canadian Coast Guard evacuated 16 people from the ship and took them to safety at Ogden Point. Coast Guard vessels Cape Calvert and Cape Naden were on duty to assess the situation and help out.
That left five people on board out of an original total of 21 crew members, Joint Rescue Coordination Centre spokesperson Lieut. Pamela Hogan said Saturday night. Crew members left the vessel in two groups, with 10 leaving first, followed by the others.
No injuries have been reported.
The master of the vessel had not made an official call to abandon ship by Saturday night, she said.
The fire on the 260-metre-long Zim Kingston was reported at 11 a.m. Saturday. Crew on board tried but failed to put it out.
“I know they did attempt fighting it earlier today, but it was ineffective and I think that’s when they notified the JRCC [Joint Rescue Co-ordinator Centre].”
The centre had sent the Canadian Forces auxiliary vessel Firebrand from Esquimalt to the fire. It stood by for a time and left after it was determined that it was a hazardous-materials fire and water shouldn’t be used to fight it, the Seattle Times reported, citing radio traffic. The fire appeared to be caused by chemicals that had spilled from damaged containers.
Warnings were broadcast to marine traffic, advising vessels to stay clear of the area because of the danger of falling containers and toxic gas.
The ship had been on its way to Vancouver from Busan, South Korea.
Zim Kingston is carrying two shipping containers holding 52,080 kilograms of potassium amyl xanthate, said Michelle Imbeau, spokesperson for the Fisheries and Oceans Canada, which is responsible for the Canadian Coast Guard.
This product is used in the mining sector, where it assists in separating ores during what is called a floatation process.
Zim Kingston lost 40 containers overboard early Friday. They tumbled into the ocean about 70 kilometres west of the Strait of Juan de Fuca, west of Bamfield. The containers fell off the 13-year-old ship when it listed in heavy seas.
Warnings were issued to mariners to watch out for the containers, which could be partially submerged and not visible. Some containers carried hazardous materials.
American and Canadian coast guards vessels went to the area to look for the missing containers, and a satellite buoy was dropped into the water near the containers to help with tracking them.
On Friday at 10 a.m., a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter spotted 35 containers off Vancouver Island, said Petty Officer 3rd Class Diolanda Caballero.
“Two of the containers have been identified as carrying spontaneous combustibles,” said Caballeros. They held flammable metals and compounds that burn quickly and are hard to extinguish by water.
“They are currently drifting north but we can’t predict which way they will go because of the heavy weather. The bomb cyclone [storm] is around that area,” she said.
Five of Zim Kingston’s containers are still unaccounted for.
“We’re hoping for the best results, that it doesn’t affect mariners’ travel at all,” Caballeros said.
A U.S. Coast Guard broadcast to mariners urged them to exercise “extreme caution” in the area of the containers.”
Imbeau said a navigational warning was issued by the Canadian Coast Guard, informing vessels of the whereabouts of the floating containers as they drift.
Assessments from the agency will be conducted to determine if “pollution threats and hazards” will come as a result of the container spill.