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Transportation Safety Board plans to release a report on container loss

The Transportation Safety Board plans to release a report on July 31, 2024, stemming from its investigation of the loss of 109 containers from the 'Zim Kingston' off Vancouver Island’s west coast and then caught in fire near ­Victoria in Oct 2021, during a news conference in Vancouver. Only four containers were recovered, coming to shore on the west and north of the island. Another 105 containers were never found. The vessel was loaded with 30,552 tons of cargo, including containers with dangerous goods, such as thiourea dioxide and xanthates. While waiting on Oct 21 for its scheduled arrival time, it moved in a set pattern near Perouse Bank, off Vancouver Island’s west coast. A storm came up, with winds that reached 40 knots and swells of about five metres. Very late in the day, as the vessel was heading north and the wind and waves coming from the southwest, the vessel rolled heavily. As a result, 109 containers fell overboard and others were damaged. Everything from refrigerators to plastic toys washed up. Large piles of debris were collected and carried out of remote areas by helicopters. After losing its cargo, the ship arrived at Constance Bank off Victoria’s waterfront. On Oct. 23 smoke was billowing from the vessel. The ship’s crew tried to contain the fire. Three firefighting tugs and a salvage contractor were brought in to help put it out. A total of 16 crew members were evacuated from the ­vessel, while five crew members, including the master, remained on board. The fire was eventually contained and extinguished on Oct. 28. A subsequent inspection revealed that the forward hatch cover of the vessel near Bay 14 was deformed, several containers onboard were damaged due to the failure of securing arrangements, and others were damaged by the fire that followed. In Nov 2021, the safety board sent a team of investigators to Victoria to look into what happened. After the fire was ­extinguished, the 'Zim Kingston' was moved to the Port of Nanaimo where containers were unloaded.

Debris continues to wash up

​Vancouver Island MPs and residents are raising concerns about ocean protection and spill response after debris from containers lost by the 'ZIM Kingston' still appears to be washing ashore months after the ship lost 109 boxed off Victoria on Oct. 23, 2021. Only four containers have been located so far. Piles of twisted and soaked blue synthetic material and twisted plastic wrapping were collected during the latest cleanup at Cape Palmerston Beach on northwest Vancouver Island on Feb 12. The material appeared similar to that used in surgical face masks or gowns. Four large industrial-sized bags were filled with the textile and will eventually be helicoptered off the remote beach. Cape Palmerston was also cleaned up at the end of October after the contents of one of the four containers found on the island’s northwest coast were strewn along the shore. A total of 71 refrigerators, 81 bags of Styrofoam, and 11 helicopter bags of garbage were flown off the beach. The Canadian Coast Guard saidwas still working with the owner to investigate and respond to reports of debris from the missing containers. The Coast Guard and the vessel’s owner are developing a plan to do a sonar scan of the area where the containers went overboard when the weather allows. There will also be an assessment of the risk the containers could pose to the marine environment. The Coast Guard cannot share the vessel’s manifest because it’s the property of the shipping company. If people come across debris they believe came from the cargo ship, they should call the Marine Pollution Reporting Line at 1-800-889-8852, and reports will be forwarded to the owner, which has hired contractors to do appropriate cleanups. The shipping company is also expected to survey beaches every couple of months where debris is likely to accumulate

All but four of the lost containers remain missing

While the 'ZIM Kingston' remained stationary in Nanaimo as of Jan 28, about three months after the loss off 109 containers in rough seas off the west coast of Vancouver Island, the location of all but four, which were were located on Oct. 29, remained unknown to date. Hazardous chemicals were in at least two of the 105 missing 40-foot containers. Other contents included Christmas decorations, metal car parts, clothing, toys, as well as industrial parts. In early-December, grey rubber mats linked to the cargo spill started washing up near Tofino in Florencia Bay and in the Hesquiaht Harbour. There were no further reports of container debris in Clayoquot or Barkley Sound, but quite a bit being reported up in Haida Gwaii. Large chunks of styrofoam began populating the beaches around Yuquot in December. The problem has persisted as the material breaks down into small pellets. Chunks of styrofoam also started washing ashore on the northern end of Long Beach, near the Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation community of Esowista, in early-December. Surfrider Pacific Rim organized a beach clean along the Esowista Peninsula and Combers Beach and removed a metal barrel, a large plastic buoy, a tire, a section of a boat, plastic fragments, as well as single-use items such as plastic bottles, aluminum cans, and plastic packaging. As of early December, around 47,650 kilograms of debris had been removed from the beaches along the northern coast of Vancouver Island. By mid-December the beaches where debris was reported were considered to be clean. Every few months, the ship’s owner will check the known accumulation sites for debris likely to be from the ZIM Kingston'. The Canadian Coast Guard will also monitor for debris when conducting overflights in the west coast Vancouver Island area and any reported debris believed to be from the vessel will be followed up on- The Coastguard continued to work with the ship’s owner to create a plan to conduct a sonar scan of the area where the containers went overboard, as well as an assessment of risk that the overboard containers could pose to the environment. The vessel owner has hired a contractor to conduct the scan but they need to wait for an appropriate weather window to complete the work.