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MORE THAN 106 CONTAINERS LOST FROM ZIM KINGSTON
DEATIL INFORMATION
The Canadian Coast Guard reported that more than 100 containers were lost from a fire-stricken containership off the coast of British Columbia, much beyond initial estimates.
The Malta-flagged Zim Kingston was reported to have lost approximately 40 crates along the Strait of Juan de Fuca on October 22 after bad weather caused the vessel to list 35 degrees while travelling from Busan, South Korea to Vancouver, Canada.
A fire on board on October 23 resulted in the loss of more containers, bringing the total number of containers destroyed to 109 by Wednesday, according to the Canadian Coast Guard. While the fire has been out, officials believe the number of containers lost will continue to rise.
Toys, clothing, car parts, appliances, industrial equipment, and furniture are among the items found in the overboard containers, according to the Canadian Coast Guard. Two of them are suspected of containing dangerous chemicals.
Some of the containers are expected to have sunk, and environmental teams will analyse the situation. Several containers have washed up on the shores of Vancouver Island, but none of them are dangerous.
The Zim Kingston is currently anchored several miles off Vancouver Island's southern coast, with tugs and other reaction vessels on standby. There have been no injuries or oil leaks reported.
According to the ship's charterer, ZIM, a crew will board the ship to inspect the vessel and cargo condition, as required by Canadian authorities, and then bring the ship to an unidentified port to unload the cargo and assess damages.