The U.S. Coast Guard reported Friday afternoon, October 22nd, that a large container ship just over 40 miles west of the northern most tip of Washington, had lost containers after listing 35 degrees to its side in heavy swells 38 miles west of the Strait of Juan de Fuca after encountering rough seas. The lost containers were initially reported to be general containers with no dangerous cargo.
At 2:00pm, Sector Puget Sound reported that the Canadian Coast Guard received a preliminary report from the master of the Zim Kingston reporting that two containers overboard contained hazardous material.
16 people have been evacuated from the vessel after it was reported at approximately 11:11am, that the Zim Kingston, moored 5 miles from Victoria, had multiple containers on fire.
Overnight the tug Seaspan Raven has cooled the hull of the vessel by spraying the hull with cold water. Due to the nature of chemicals onboard the container ship, applying water directly to the fire is not an option.
The fire has been reported to be stabilized, and hazardous materials firefighters will board the ship to fight any remaining fires and ensure the fire is out depending on weather. Emergency tow vessels, tugs and Canadian and U.S. Coast Guard vessels continue to monitor the ship to ensure the five crew members that remain on the ship are safe, and that the ship remains secured.
