U.S. Coast Guard said a large cargo ship with an active fire in its hold is being kept offshore of an Alaska port as a precaution while efforts are undertaken to extinguish the flames.

A large cargo ship with a fire in its hold is being kept 2 miles (3.22 kilometers) offshore of an Alaska port as a precaution while efforts are undertaken to extinguish the flames, the U.S. Coast Guard said Saturday.

There were no injuries to the 19 crew members aboard the Genius Star XI, which was carrying a load of lithium-ion batteries across the Pacific Ocean, from Vietnam to San Diego, the guard’s Alaska district said in a release.

The fire started on Christmas Day in cargo hold No. 1, a spokesperson for ship owner Wisdom Marine Group said in a statement. The crew released carbon dioxide into the hold and sealed it over concerns of an explosion.

Ship’s personnel alerted the Coast Guard early Thursday morning about the fire. The Coast Guard said it diverted the 410-foot (125-meter) cargo ship to Dutch Harbor, one of the nation’s busiest fishing ports located in Unalaska, an Aleutian Islands community about 800 miles (1,287 kilometers) southwest of Anchorage.

  • Ultragramps
    7•1 year ago

    According to the article it is near a major fishing area (Dutch Harbor), so dumping those batteries will do extra damage.

    • @Agent641
      3•1 year ago

      But on the positive side, the electric eel population will get a much needed boost