By Anna Patrick | Seattle Times staff reporter
The U.S. Coast Guard is responding to a cargo ship fire near Dutch Harbor, Alaska.
The fire was first reported early Thursday morning to the 17th Coast Guard District Command Center in Juneau as the vessel was located about 225 miles southwest of the harbor.
The fire is contained, but remains ongoing, according to a statement by the Coast Guard. The 410-foot vessel, Genius Star XI, is reported to be carrying lithium-ion batteries. A cause of the fire has yet to be determined.
The cargo vessel was traveling from Vietnam to Dutch Harbor, according to gCaptain, a digital maritime news site.
After the fire was reported, the vessel was instructed to move closer to the shore to maintain a safe observation zone, according to a statement by the Coast Guard. No injuries have been reported so far among the 19-member crew.
“We applaud the crew members aboard Genius Star XI, whose swift actions kept the fire contained to this point,” said Capt. Chris Culpepper, commander of the Coast Guard’s Sector Anchorage, in a news statement Friday.
A team of marine firefighting experts boarded the ship Thursday to assess the vessel’s condition. The team found “no signs of structural deformation or blistering outside of the compartment,” according to a statement by Coast Guard.
