The containership ‘MOL Prestige’, had suffered an engine fire and was adrift 207nm southwest of Haida Gwaii, British Columbia. The fire has now been extinguished, as the ship’s manager, MOL, informed.
After receiving a distress call about the accident, Victoria Joint Rescue Coordination Centre (VJRCC) in cooperation with the Canadian Coast Guard deployed an aircraft and a helicopter on the scene, rescuing two injured crewmembers, and transported them to receive medical care. ‘CCGS Sir Wilfrid Laurier’ was also deployed to help the vessel.
The ship was carrying a total of 23 crewmembers. Two of them were transported for medical care, while in total, five are believed to have sustained injuries. The remaining onboard the ship was reported as safe. The extent and cause of the fire has not been discovered as yet.
MOL Prestige is now awaiting the arrival of a tug to tow it to the nearest North American port.
Teamwork at its best: @RCAF_ARC aircraft from Comox rescued three injured people from a ship off the coast of BC, while @CCG_GCC , @Transport_GC and civilian ships in the area assisted the ship in distress #ThatOthersMayLive #SAR pic.twitter.com/GGQ2wCxumS
— CAF Operations (@CFOperations) February 5, 2018
