Refrigerators, Styrofoam and debris from cargo ship cleaned off B.C. beach

The Canadian Coast Guard says all large debris that washed up onshore at Cape Palmerston from the MV Zim Kingston has now been removed.

Over the weekend, a helicopter removed 71 refrigerators, 81 bags of Styrofoam, 19 bags of garbage and 11 helicopter bags of debris off the beach.

The coast guard said crews will soon start removing debris from Guise Bay at Cape Scott, as long as the weather cooperates.

Plans are also underway to use a helicopter to remove the four washed-up shipping containers, the coast guard said.

2:05 Container ship clean up underway on Vancouver Island

More than 100 containers broke free from the MV Zim Kingston near the mouth of the Strait of Juan de Fuca during rough seas last Thursday.

Four of those containers have since washed ashore, some of them littering their contents across beaches near Cape Scott. But another 105, including two filled with toxic chemicals, remain unaccounted for.

Danaos Shipping Co., which operates the Zim Kingston, has hired two companies to manage shoreline and waterside recovery, and the Canadian Coast Guard has urged people to keep away from the containers for safety reasons.

If members of the public find a container, they should avoid opening it and call 1-800-889-8852 immediately, the coast guard said.

4:44 Containers from MV Zim Kingston wash ashore off Northern Vancouver Island

Meanwhile, cargo stabilization efforts continue aboard the MV Zim Kingston and a class inspection has been completed with the results now being reviewed by Transport Canada.

The ship remains moored in Constance Bank. The coast guard’s emergency tow vessel Atlantic Raven, with assistance from the CCGS Cape Calvert when required, and the Seaspan Raven tug continue to standby the Zim Kingston to support operations, the coast guard said.