Canadian Coast Guard Reported Tug Boat Battling Container Fire Aboard Cargo Ship Transporting Mining Chemicals Near Vancouver

After a cargo ship carrying more than 50 tons of mining chemicals caught fire off the western coast of Canada, sixteen crew members had to be rescued from the blazing vessel.

Mining chemicals are made from Cyanide, sulfuric acid, nitric acid, uranium, mercury, and lead. The mining industry widely uses Cyanide to extract gold from its ore.

Gold is extracted from ore using Cyanide. Cyanide is colorless and odorless when it is pure. When coupled with other substances, the Cyanide may lose its scent. There are many ways to utilize this substance.

Copper mining necessitates the use of sulfuric acid, a hazardous chemical. Another use for acid waste is acid mine drainage, which is created when it mixes with water and heavy metals during mining. When inhaled, sulfuric acid gives off a rotten egg stench. Sulfuric acid exposure may result in severe burns, blindness, and even death.

On Sunday, Canada’s Coast Guard issued a 1-nautical-mile emergency zone surrounding the MV Zim Kingston, which was moored near Victoria, British Columbia’s capital.

Danaos Shipping, the business in charge of the container ship, reported to Canadian Coast Guard Commander JJ Brickett that the water had extinguished the fire by Sunday evening.

According to the Canadian Coast Guard, toxic fumes from a container ship have been “stabilized,” which now plans to send firemen to extinguish the remaining flames. The Zim Kingston is currently moored off Victoria, British Columbia, in the Strait of Juan de Fuca, the waterway that divides Canada from its southern neighbor, the United States.

Forty canisters of mining chemicals fell overboard, and the agency said it was working with its US equivalent to hunting them down since they represent a substantial danger to sailors. According to CBC News, the ship was headed to Vancouver when the incident started, and the Coast Guard was alerted about it around 11:00 p.m. local time on Saturday.

On a cargo ship transporting mining chemicals off the coast of British Columbia, an overnight tug boat battled a container fire that had broken out. The Canadian Coast Guard said it would keep an eye on the situation. On Saturday, sixteen members of the MV Zim Kingston crew were evacuated, except five who stayed aboard to fight the blaze. The Coast Guard says the incident “broke out in 10 containers,” whereas the ship’s Cypriot owner, Danos Shipping, claims it happened in two. The Coast Guard’s account

The tugboat sprayed cold water on the hull to put out the fire, according to the Coast Guard, since “applying water directly to the fire is not an option owing to the type of chemicals aboard the container ship.”

Radio-Canada reports that the Canadian and American coast guards worked jointly to retrieve 40 containers lost in the Pacific Ocean during the incident.