Crews will be removing debris that fell from the ZIM Kingston from Guise Bay at Cape Scott, following the news that over 100 containers from the vessel were drifting in the ocean near Victoria British Columbia.
Over the weekend, in a social media post from the Canadian Coast Guard announced that crews hired by Danaos Shipping removed 71 refrigerators, 81 bags of styrofoam and 19 bags of garbage from Cape Palmerston beach. This debris was flown off in 11 helicopter bags.
The Coast Guard went on to thank the public for reporting debris but has reiterated that they are not looking for volunteers to help collect it, as all debris recovery efforts are being coordinated with Danaos Shipping through the Incident Command Post.
Only four containers out of the 109 that fell overboard have been found so far, and are set to be removed from the beach via helicopter soon. These containers were found by helicopters from the National Surveillance Program and the Canadian Coast Guard.
The Canadian Coast Guard is continuing to work closely with the US Coast Guard Pacific Northwest to track the movements of this lost cargo.
The cargo fell overboard following a fire that broke out in 10 containers onboard the 4,253 TEU vessel on 24 October 2021, which led to 16 people having to be evacuated. They are believed to be adrift approximately 12NM east of Vancouver Island on a Northwest trajectory, parallel with the island.
Inspectors from Transport Canada also boarded the ZIM Kingston on 29 October to conduct a marine safety compliance inspection. This is to ensure the safety and security of the marine environment in British Columbia. The inspection has since been completed and results are currently being reviewed.
The vessel is still at water. Further anchorage or berth location for the vessel is still to be determined.
