- Transport Canada has cleared the way for a cargo ship that’s been moored off the coast of Victoria after several containers caught fire and more than 100 were lost overboard to move to a nearby berth or anchorage.
- Those containers are now secure, the department said.
- Fisheries Minister Joyce Murray was briefed by incident commanders and took part in a flyover on Friday.
- The Transportation Safety Board is investigating the incident.
The coast guard said Friday that Transport Canada has cleared the way for a cargo ship tied off the coast of Victoria to relocate to a nearby berth or anchorage after several containers caught fire and more than 100 were lost overboard, as reported by CBC News.
Abundance of caution
The containers are now secure, according to the department.
The ship has not received damage that would jeopardise its safe sailing, but contingency measures will be in place, and additional vessels will escort the ship to port “out of an abundance of caution,” according to the coast guard.
The convoy will include vessels that will monitor marine creatures, according to the report.
On Friday, Fisheries Minister Joyce Murray received a briefing from incident commanders and took part in a flyover.
Murray stated in an interview that the disaster could have been much worse if it hadn’t been for the activities of emergency personnel and marine firefighting vessels.
Investigation
Four of the 109 containers that went overboard have washed up on beaches, according to the coast guard, with “no indication” of the remaining 105 units, which contained cargo ranging from refrigerators to running shoes to Styrofoam to garbage.
Murray said the whereabouts of two canisters containing dangerous chemicals were unknown, but the substance was expected to disintegrate in water.
She added the coast guard is still looking for floating debris and evidence of sunken cargo.
After new material was found, the ship’s owner hired additional beach cleanup organisations and First Nations, according to the coast guard’s statement on Friday.
The incident is being investigated by the Transportation Safety Board.
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Source: CBC News
