Cargo ship carrying lithium ion batteries ordered to continue to Alaska despite a fire in cargo hold
ANKERAGE, Alaska — A cargo ship carrying lithium-ion batteries has been ordered to continue to Alaska after a fire was reported in the cargo hold.
The U.S. Coast Guard said Friday that the fire is under control but is still burning. The 400-foot freighter Genius Star XI was ordered to proceed to the port of Dutch Harbor, Alaska. A Coast Guard aircraft and the Coast Guard ship Alex Haley were sent to assist.
The ship was about 225 miles (362 kilometers) southwest of Dutch Harbor when they reported the fire early Thursday morning, the warden said in a news release.
The ship is owned by Wisdom Marine Group of Taipei, Taiwan. A spokesperson said in an email that there were no injuries to the 19 crew members and that no oil had leaked.
The plane was en route to San Diego with the batteries from Vietnam, the email said. Crew members released carbon dioxide into the hold when the fire was discovered Monday.
“Concerned about the potential explosion hazard, the hold was kept sealed,” the email said, adding that the crew monitored the vents and temperatures in the hold.
It was not clear when the ship would arrive in Dutch Harbor, one of the country's busiest fishing ports. The Coast Guard's Alaska Division office in Juneau did not immediately return an email Friday afternoon.
When the ship arrives, it will remain offshore while emergency crews prepare to assist, the Coast Guard said.
“This will be an ongoing team effort as we work to safely extinguish the fire, provide necessary medical care to the crew and mitigate the hazards associated with an onboard fire,” said Capt. Chris Culpepper, commanding officer of the Anchorage Coast Guard Sector. at the time of publication.
The guard will investigate the cause of the fire.
According to the Marine Traffic website, the Genius Star XI left Vietnam on December 10 en route to Dutch Harbor. The ship with a loading capacity of more than 13,000 tons (11,793 tons) sails under the flag of Panama.