Coast Guard widens emergency zone around cargo ship near Victoria, ship’s manager claims fire contained

The Canadian Coast Guard on Sunday morning doubled an emergency no-go zone around a cargo ship burning off the coast of Vancouver Island, near Victoria, B.C..

The Canadian Coast Guard on Sunday morning doubled an emergency no-go zone around a cargo ship burning off the coast of Vancouver Island, near Victoria, B.C..

Some 10 containers, some of which contain hazardous chemicals used in mining, caught fire aboard the 260 metre long M/V Zim Kingston on Saturday, prompting an emergency response roughly eight kilometers offshore.

The Coast Guard evacuated 16 crew members on Saturday night, while another five remained onboard to fight the fire.

There are no reports of any injuries

In a tweet Sunday morning, the Coast Guard wrote a tugboat had cooled the hull of the container ship overnight by spraying it with cold water.

“Due to the nature of the chemicals onboard the (ship), applying water directly to the fire is not an option,” the Coast Guard said, adding that it was expanding the emergency zone around the ship from one to two nautical miles.

While it was not immediately clear if the fire was under control, a statement from Danoas Shipping Co., which manages the Zim Kingston, said the fire appeared “to have been contained.”