Cargo ship near Victoria lost 106 containers

VICTORIA - The coast guard has updated the number of containers that fell into the ocean from a cargo ship off Victoria to 106, up from the original estimate of 40.

It says the owner of the MV Zim Kingston provided information showing 2,000 containers were on board with 1,000 on deck when two caught fire and others fell overboard as the ship approached Vancouver last week.

The coast guard says in a statement that two containers with hazardous chemicals were among those lost, and that number hasn't changed since the first estimate.

It says authorities now have a list of contents from all containers identified as being lost, including industrial and car parts, Christmas decorations, sofas, poker tables, clothing, toys, yoga mats, stand up paddle boards and other everyday items.

The coast guard says it expects some of the containers have sunk, while others have been spotted near Cape Scott on the northern tip of Vancouver Island.

Officials have said it may be several days before fires inside individual containers on the Greece-based ship can be extinguished.

The owner, Danaos Shipping Co., has said it is co-operating with Canadian officials.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 27, 2021.