Oct 24 Reuters - The U.S. Coast Guard said it is monitoring a fire that broke out on a container ship off the coast of Victoria, British Columbia, and is working with the Canadian Coast Guard to assess the situation.
The Canadian Coast Guard received a report from the MV Zim Kingston around 11 am this morning that a fire has broken out in the damaged containers onboard, it said in a statement late on Saturday.
According to CBC News, 10 crew members have been evacuated, while 11 crew members remained onboard. Six containers are ablaze in total, it said.
The report added that the vessel is said to be carrying more than 52,000 kg of xanthates - chemicals used in mining industry - which include potassium amylxanthate. Potassium amylxanthate is considered an environmental irritant and an environmental hazard.
Video obtained by Reuters showed fire cascading into the water from the deck of the ship.
A joint agency response is being made to provide assistance, the Canadian Coast Guard said, adding that an assessment is being made to determine the pollution hazards from the containers.
The bulk carrier M V Zim Kingston reported on Friday that it had encountered rough weather west of the Strait of Juan de Fuca. The United States Coast Guard said in a tweet about 40 containers from the vessel had fallen overboard.