Cargo ship carrying lithium ion batteries ordered to continue to Alaska despite a fire in cargo hold
ABC News
A 410-foot cargo vessel in the North Pacific Ocean has reported a fire in its cargo hold
ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- A cargo vessel carrying lithium-ion batteries has been ordered to continue to Alaska after a fire was reported in its cargo hold.
The U.S. Coast Guard said Friday the fire is contained but ongoing. The 410-foot (125-meter) cargo ship Genius Star XI was directed to continue to the port at Dutch Harbor, Alaska. A Coast Guard airplane and the Coast Guard ship Alex Haley were sent to assist.
The ship was located about 225 miles (362 kilometers) southwest of Dutch Harbor when they reported the fire early Thursday morning, the guard said in a release.
It was not immediately known if there were injuries, how many crew members were aboard the vessel or when it would arrive at Dutch Harbor, which is one of the nation’s busiest fishing ports. The Coast Guard’s Alaska division office in Juneau didn’t immediately return an email Friday afternoon.
When the ship does arrive, it will remain offshore as response crews prepare to assist, the Coast Guard release said.
