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Violent seas tear cargo from freighter off B.C. coast

A huge cargo ship bound for Japan was no match for 10-metre seas and howling winds off the northwest tip of Vancouver Island. The nearly 200-metre-long vessel was battered by a severe storm late Thursday night, as several hatch covers were ripped away and part of its load of raw logs tumbled overboard. The captain issued a distress call at around 11 p.m. as concern grew that the ship could capsize if the rest of its cargo of Washington state logs shifted. A spokesman with the Joint Rescue Co-ordination Centre in Victoria says the situation stabilized early Friday morning and the 23 crew members do not appear to be in immediate danger. Paul Tasker says a U.S. coast guard ship should reach the scene, 300 nautical miles northwest of Vancouver Island, within hours to take the freighter under tow. It will take several days for the Canadian Coast Guard to reach the damaged vessel and, in the meantime, the U.S. ship will help it limp back to port in Washington. http://www.thespec.com/news/world/article/665410--violent-seas-tear-cargo-from-freighter-off-b-c-coast