ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — A large cargo ship with a fire in its hold is being saved 2 miles (3.22 kilometers) offshore of an Alaska port as a precaution whereas efforts are undertaken to extinguish the flames, the U.S. Coast Guard mentioned Saturday.
There have been no accidents to the 19 crew members aboard the Genius Star XI, which was carrying a load of lithium-ion batteries throughout the Pacific Ocean, from Vietnam to San Diego, the guard’s Alaska district mentioned in a launch.
The hearth began on Christmas Day in cargo maintain No. 1, a spokesperson for ship proprietor Wisdom Marine Group mentioned in an announcement. The crew launched carbon dioxide into the maintain and sealed it over issues of an explosion.
Ship’s personnel alerted the Coast Guard early Thursday morning concerning the hearth. The Coast Guard mentioned it diverted the 410-foot (125-meter) cargo ship to Dutch Harbor, one of many nation’s busiest fishing ports positioned in Unalaska, an Aleutian Islands group about 800 miles (1,287 kilometers) southwest of Anchorage.
The ship arrived Friday, however an order stopping the Genius Star XI from going near shore was issued to “mitigate dangers related to burning lithium-ion batteries or poisonous gasses produced by the hearth,” Coast Guard Lt. Cmdr. Mike Salerno mentioned in an electronic mail to The Related Press.
“The town’s major concern is defending the well being and security of our group members, the setting, fisheries and commerce,” Unalaska appearing metropolis supervisor Marjie Veeder mentioned in an announcement.
Veeder mentioned the town’s emergency operations middle “is appearing on behalf of the group and advocating our place to guard our group. We’re actively monitoring the scenario.”
There may be hazard related to any vessel hearth, prompting the Coast Guard to problem one other security measure in addition to stopping the ship from getting nearer than 2 miles (3.22 kilometers) to shore.
”The protection of Unalaska residents and the encompassing communities is a high precedence for us, in order a precaution we’re maintaining a one-mile (1.61-kilometer) security zone across the vessel,” Salerno mentioned.
The homeowners mentioned there was no oil leaks related to the incident.
A staff of marine firefighting specialists late Friday performed an evaluation of the ship and located no indicators of structural deformation or blistering outdoors of the cargo maintain, the Coast Guard mentioned.
That staff stays on board the ship to guage the scenario, Salerno mentioned.
An knowledgeable employed by the Taipei, Taiwan-based Knowledge Marine Group “is working diligently to create contingency plans, prepare for a firefighting staff, and make sure the mandatory tools is in place,’ the group mentioned in an announcement.
The Coast Guard will examine the reason for the hearth.
The Genius Star XI left Vietnam on Dec. 10 en path to Dutch Harbor, in accordance with the Marine Traffic website. The ship with a carrying capability of greater than 13,000 tons (11,793 metric tonnes) sails underneath the flag of Panama.
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