This image provided by the U.S. Coast Guard shows a reported fire aboard the 410-foot cargo vessel Genius Star XI, approximately 200 miles southwest of Dutch Harbor, Alaska on Thursday, Dec. 29, 2023. The large cargo ship with a fire in its hold is being kept 2 miles (3.22 kilometers) offshore of an Alaska port as a precaution while efforts are undertaken to extinguish the flames, the U.S. Coast Guard said Saturday. (Lt.Cmdr. Michael Salerno/U.S. Coast Guard via AP)
After lithium-ion batteries burned in a large cargo ship’s hold for a number of days, the U.S. Coast Guard said late Saturday that the fire was out and directed the ship to anchor near Dutch Harbor. Lithium Battery Batteries
The 19 crew members of the ship, Genius Star XI, were uninjured and technicians from the Salvage and Marine Firefighting team remain onboard to ensure the fire doesn’t return, according to a Coast Guard statement.
“This protected anchorage ... will allow the vessel to remain stable, minimizing risk of any re-flash of the fire as we continue our response,” Capt. Chris Culpepper said in the statement, which said an investigation into the fire’s origins will begin once response efforts wrap up.
Genius Star XI was shipping lithium-ion batteries from Vietnam to San Diego. The crew alerted the Coast Guard early Thursday morning to the fire, after pumping carbon dioxide into hold No. 1 — where the blaze began — and sealing it, fearing an explosion.
The Coast Guard diverted the 410-foot cargo ship to Dutch Harbor, one of the nation’s busiest fishing ports located in the Aleutian Islands community of Unalaska.
Arriving Friday, Genius Star XI was kept 2 miles from shore to mitigate the risks of toxic gases produced by the fire to the community and environment while responders worked to extinguish the flames, Coast Guard Lt. Cmdr. Mike Salerno said in an email to The Associated Press.
There have been no oil leaks associated with the fire, according to the ship’s owners, Wisdom Marine Group.
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