THREE crewmen were injured in an engine room fire aboard the 6,350-TEU MOL Prestige off the coast of British Columbia, setting the Singapore-flagged vessel adrift south west of Prince Rupert
THREE crewmen were injured in an engine room fire aboard the 6,350-TEU MOL Prestige off the coast of British Columbia, setting the Singapore-flagged vessel adrift south west of Prince Rupert.
The crew was able to put out the fire but several men were injured. They have been transported to hospital in Queen Charlotte City by a Royal Canadian Air Force helicopter.
The ship is now 'dead in the water,' running only on internal power, reported the Vancouver Sun.
A US oil tanker responded to their distress call and is on scene, waiting in case anything else happens. They will be relieved by the Canadian Coast Guard ship the Sir Wilfrid Laurier, which is expected to arrive by midnight Thursday.
A rescue helicopter was dispatched from Victoria, which took off two individuals who had suffered burns to their hands, reported Fort Lauderdale's Maritime Executive.
Twenty-one crewmen remain aboard, with electric power from the ship's emergency generator, according to Canadian Coast Guard spokesman John Rose.
The fire has been extinguished, and while the Prestige is still adrift, her situation is stable, Mr Rose said. Canadian Coast Guard Ship Sir Wilfrid Laurier was on scene to assist, awaiting a salvage tug which was expected to arrive within 12 hours.
Port State Control inspectors in Vancouver found unspecified problems with gauges in her engine room. US Coast Guard inspectors in Seattle found issues with her auxiliary engines in August, and inspectors at Brisbane, Australia logged a deficiency related to fire dampers last March. None resulted in detention.
