Number of lost containers on the ZIM Kingston ship increased to 106, the fire is under control

The number of containers reported lost from the ZIM Kingston has increased to more than 100, and officials say the fire is under control.

The fire on the Zim kingston has been brought under control

The fire on the Zim kingston has been brought under control (Image: Canadian Coast Guard)

The Canadian Coast Guard, working with other agencies, a rescue team and private vessels, is continuing to respond to the fire aboard the ZIM Kingston off Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, as well as the lost containers off the Vancouver Island.

An update on Wednesday from the Coast Guard said the fire was now under control and crews were able to safely access the container holds on board.

Perhaps the latest news is that the Coast Guard thinks that initially 106 containers were overturned in bad weather last week, almost three times the 40 previously reported (some other reports say that the number is 109 containers lost on board). However, the number of containers containing dangerous goods (2) remains unchanged.

The picture, taken on Monday, can be seen burning fire in one of the forward compartments, plus stacks of collapsed containers in two other compartments both forward and aft of the ship.

To recap the past few days, after weathering Sunday night's storm at ZIM Kingston's anchorage, late Monday morning showed the fire still smoldering but no flames visible from the containers. A dedicated salvage team from Resolve Marine spent most of the day waiting for favorable weather to board.

The fire is still smoldering aboard the Zim Kingston

The fire is still smoldering aboard the Zim Kingston (Image: Canadian Coast Guard)

By Tuesday morning, six "firefighters" were able to board the ship with seven returning crew members, joining the Captain and four others who had remained on the ship during the incident.

The Canada Coast Guard said Salvage Master and his team will assess the situation and estimate that it could take several days to completely extinguish any smoldering fires inside the container.

Since incidents involving hazardous materials, public health and safety are constant concerns. However, the Environmental Unit in Unified Command said Tuesday that air monitoring readings taken during Monday's storm at 32 locations were all below detection limits.

After the fire is extinguished, the rescue team is expected to secure the containers with the supervision of the environmental team and be ready to respond to any pollution of the marine environment. The ship is expected to arrive at a port or location still pending for additional inspection.

“Once the ship is secured, Transport Canada inspectors will inspect the ship and then direct it to a port (not determined yet) for unloading and any further inspections. There may be changes to this process depending on the results of each step," the Coast Guard said in an update on Twitter.

As for the containers lost west of the Juan De Fuca Strait last week, the Unified Command continues to monitor and plan for remediation as they enter the coast of Vancouver Island on a northwesterly orbit parallel to the island. As we noted earlier, the initial 40 lost containers reported were raised to 106 containers.

The Coast Guard said the contents of the ship included toys, clothing, auto parts, industrial parts and furniture. The Unified Command expects that several containers have sunk and the Environment Unit will assess potential impacts.

Image provided by Incident Command showing tracking of containers near Vancouver Island. “The owner of the #ZimKingston is working with Incident Command to find & recover the containers, but ongoing stormy weather and large swells continue to complicate their recovery. Modelling shows that the containers may reach #CapeScott on Northern Vancouver Island,” the Coast Guard said in an update Tuesday afternoon.

Damaged containers on board Zim Kingston

Damaged containers on board Zim Kingston (Image: Canadian Coast Guard)

The Coast Guard added that there is a possibility that the containers have washed up on the beach and that due to toxic substances in some of the containers, it is advised that people avoid opening or moving them. To be on the safe side, residents should call 1-800-889-8852 immediately.

However, the Coast Guard said on Wednesday that “No containers or debris have been reported on shore, however the National Aerial Surveillance Program (NASP) and our helicopters will be searching today, depending on weather.”

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Source: Phaata.com (According to Gcaptain)

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