B.C. cargo ship fire out but search continues for containers lost at sea

A fire that burned for nearly a week on the container ship anchored off Victoria's waterfront has been put out.

A statement from Danaos Shipping Co., the manager of the MV Zim Kingston, says the specialized marine service company it hired will begin the cleanup operation on the ship.

The statement says the same firm has been retained to search for the 109 containers that were lost overboard last week, around the same time the fire started on the ship.

The Canadian Coast Guard said in a statement Thursday that at least five containers have been spotted in the waters or washed ashore on the northern tip of Vancouver Island, more than 400 kilometres from the vessel.

At least two of the lost containers had hazardous materials, while others held Christmas decorations, sofas, appliances, car parts, toys and other everyday items.

The coast guard says trajectory modelling from the Department of Environment and Climate Change Canada shows that the containers that remain afloat will continue to drift north.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 29, 2021.

One of the lost shipping containers that came ashore near Cape Scott Provincial Park. (Canadian Coast Guard)