ANKERAGE, Alaska — After lithium-ion batteries burned in the hold of a large cargo ship for several days, the U.S. Coast Guard said late Saturday that the fire was out and ordered the ship to anchor near Dutch Harbor, Alaska.
The 19 crew members of the ship, Genius Star
“This protected anchorage… will allow the vessel to remain stable, minimizing the risk of a fire resurgence as we continue our response,” Capt. Chris Culpepper said in the news release, which said an investigation is underway done to the origin of the fire. will begin once response efforts are completed.
Genius Star XI shipped lithium-ion batteries from Vietnam to San Diego. The crew alerted the coastguard to the fire early Thursday morning after pumping carbon dioxide into hold No. 1 – where the fire started – and sealing it off, fearing an explosion.
The Coast Guard diverted the 400-foot cargo ship to Dutch Harbor, one of the nation's busiest fishing ports in Unalaska, an Aleutian island community about 775 miles (1,287 kilometers) southwest of Anchorage.
Arriving Friday, Genius Star Cmdr. Mike Salerno said in an email to The Associated Press.
According to the ship's owners, Wisdom Marine Group, there have been no oil leaks related to the fire.