A commercial shipping vessel is adrift off Haida Gwaii after a fire in its engine room.
The MOL Prestige was en route from Vancouver to Japan when the fire started somewhere west of Haida Gwaii. The ship left Roberts Bank on Monday.
The crew was able to put out the fire, but several crew members were injured. They have been taken to hospital in Queen Charlotte City by an Royal Canadian Air Force helicopter.
The ship is now “dead in the water,” running only on internal power. A U.S. oil tanker responded to their distress call and is on scene, waiting in case anything else happens. They were to be relieved today by the Canadian Coast Guard ship the Sir Wilfrid Laurier.
The MOL Prestige is operated by Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, who say on their website they have the world’s largest shipping fleet.
