Dozens Of Shipping Containers Still Adrift Near Victoria

SEATTLE — Coast Guard crews from the U.S. and Canada continue to monitor a large cargo ship after it spilled more than three dozen containers near the Strait of Juan de Fuca during Friday's storms and rough seas.

According to the U.S. Coast Guard, the vessel Zim Kingston reported 40 containers overboard early Friday morning after the ship heeled 35 degrees amid heavy swells, about 38 miles west of the Strait.

The Coast Guard deployed helicopters from Port Angeles to help survey the scene. Crews were able to spot 35 of the containers and deployed a marker buoy to monitor their movements, the Coast Guard said. The vessel reported two of the lost containers contained hazardous materials.

Late Saturday morning, Canadian authorities reported two containers still aboard the Zim Kingston were on fire.

In a news release Sunday evening, the U.S. Coast Guard said it would continue to work with its Canadian counterparts to contain the scene and help ensure the crew's safety, along with broadcasting warnings to other ships in the area about the loose containers.

The ship remains moored about 5 miles off Victoria, British Columbia.

In updates shared Monday morning, the Canadian Coast Guard said the Zim Kingston was stable overnight, but salvage crews were unable to board the vessel due to ongoing weather.

Canadian and U.S. authorities are still tracking the containers, which were drifting in a northwest direction off Vancouver Island early Monday afternoon. Canadian Coast Guard officials said the modeling suggested the containers would not make it ashore, and actions to recover them would be taken "when a window of opportunity opens."