White smoke billowing from cargo ship in Burrard Inlet
Credit to Author: Scott Brown| Date: Wed, 07 Aug 2019 20:40:48 +0000
Emergency crews responded to an explosion aboard a cargo ship in Burrard Inlet Tuesday afternoon.
People enjoying the sun on Ambleside Beach in West Vancouver received a jolt just before 5 p.m. when they heard a loud bang coming from the off-shore freighter. White smoke was then seen billowing from the Minoan Glory, a 225-metre bulk carrier registered out of Liberia.
“It sounded like a car crash,” said witness Scott Milton, who said the explosion occurred right after the cargo ship cleared Stanley Park.
There was a lot of sound and fury but, according to the Canadian Coast Guard, it was nothing to be too concerned about.
After scrambling vessels from its Kitsilano base to the scene, the coast guard determined the explosion and smoke was caused by a malfunction with the ship’s fumigation hatch. The coast guard said there were no injuries and no spills as a result of the incident.
The ship didn’t hang around in Burrard Inlet long after the explosion. The Minoan Glory, which arrived in Vancouver on Aug. 2, sailed out of the inlet and anchored off the waters off English Bay.
Its next destination is Singapore.
Smoke billows from a cargo ship next to Lions Gate Bridge on Tuesday. The Coast Guard says Minoan Glory, a 32-metre bulk carrier, experienced a malfunction with its fumigation hatch. There were no injuries and no spills as a result.