Flames aboard vessel off southern B.C. mostly extinguished, mariners advised to stay clear
A container fire aboard a cargo ship off the coast of Vancouver Island was largely extinguished by Sunday afternoon, but a powerful storm is expected to delay the recovery of 40 containers that fell overboard.
The Coast Guard first responded to the vessel at 11 a.m. on Saturday. At least 10 containers were hit by fire, including two that contained more than 52,000 kilograms of potassium amyl xanthate, a hazardous material widely used in mineral processing, according to the Coast Guard. Spokeswoman Michelle Imbeau said a full inventory of the containers and their contents will be conducted in coming days.
On the weekend, a tugboat cooled the hull of the vessel by spraying it with cold water. However, it could not apply water directly to the fire because of the nature of the chemicals onboard, the Coast Guard said. The Coast Guard said recovery of the containers may be challenging because of the weather. Environment Canada reported that a powerful windstorm hit much of West Vancouver Island and the south coast on Sunday afternoon, and would continue through midday Monday. Southeasterly winds were expected to exceed 80 kilometres an hour.
However, Mr. Lahay said he believes the agency is woefully underfunded and short-staffed, and as a consequence, too few inspections take place.
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