Report on ship fire and containers lost off B.C.'s coast out today

The Transportation Safety Board will release its report today on the fire and loss of more than 100 containers from a cargo ship off British Columbia's coast.

The containers fell off MV Zim Kingston in October 2021 as it sat off the west coast of Vancouver Island and a storm blew in, bringing strong winds.

The Kingston moved to the waters off Victoria, then days later fire erupted in one of the containers and spread on the ship, taking several days to put out.

Just four of the 109 containers that tumbled from the ship were found, although debris, ranging from refrigerators to blow-up unicorns, continued to wash up on B.C.'s beaches.

A Commons standing committee report released in October 2022 made 29 recommendations as it warned the federal government, provinces and coastal communities were "not operationally prepared" to manage marine cargo container spills.

Kathy Fox, the chair of the Transportation Safety Board, will be releasing the report.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 31, 2024.