Forty shipping containers knocked overboard near Vancouver Island

Boaters are being warned to exercise “extreme caution” after approximately 40 shipping containers were knocked off a cargo ship near Vancouver Island on Friday.

The containers were thrown overboard when the vessel Zim Kingston encountered rough seas about 69 kilometres west of the entrance to the Straits of Juan de Fuca.

The Maltese-flagged ship had been en route to Vancouver from South Korea when it listed to one side, the US Coast Guard said.

Both the Canadian Coast Guard and its American counterpart warned vessels to be vigilant in the area as the containers were partially submerged and may not be visible.

#BreakingNews Coast Guard crews are monitoring several adrift shipping containers 43 miles west of the Straits of Juan de Fuca entrance. An inbound vessel lost approx. 40 containers when the ship listed to its side due to rough seas. Check back for updates. pic.twitter.com/GInKf8M0sB

— USCGPacificNorthwest (@USCGPacificNW) October 22, 2021

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Just before 4:30 pm PDT, the US Coast Guard said a helicopter had located eight containers and was “actively” tracking them as they floated north. By 5 pm 35 had been spotted.

The Zim Kingston is currently anchored south of Victoria at the Constance Bank Anchorage. According to Marine Traffic, the ship was carrying hazardous materials.

#UPDATE: Imagery captured of located containers from U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Port Angeles helicopter. pic.twitter.com/jOr1bbdnW3

— USCGPacificNorthwest (@USCGPacificNW) October 23, 2021