An engine fire causing damage to drifting containership MOL Prestige (IMO 9321029) has been extinguished. On Saturday February 3rd the vessel was awaiting a tugboat which the Canadian coastguard said would arrive on Sunday morning to assist it to its final destination.
Victoria Joint Rescue Coordination Centre Lieutenant (VJRCC) Tony Wright said that crew members who had stayed on the ship were monitoring the status of the engine.
VJRCC was told on the evening of January 31st that 293-metre MOL Prestige was adrift 207 nm southwest of Haida Gwaii – an archipelago on the north coast of British Columbia, Canada, formerly called the Queen Charlotte Islands – with 23 people on board. She had suffered an engine fire on board which caused it to lose propulsion.
A CC-115 Buffalo provided air assistance, and a CH-149 Cormorant helicopter was dispatched to the ship to evacuate two crew members who were injured on board. The crew members were later medevacked to Haida Gwaii for further treatment.
Timothy Pajak, director of global marketing and communications for MOL Liner Ltd, said the vessel departed Vancouver on the evening of January 29th en route for Tokyo which an initial ETA of February 8th.
According to reports, as many as five crew members on board may have suffered injuries, including two with serious burns who were airlifted to hospital.
2006-built, Singapore-flagged, 71,902 gt, 6,350 teu MOL Prestige is owned by IS Container Pte Ltd of Singapore. Commercial manager is Mitsui OSK Lines Ltd of Tokyo, Japan. ISM manager is Bernhard Schulte-CHR of Shanghai, China.