bbc.com
The Simushir's captain was rescued by helicopter
A Russian container ship is adrift once again off the Canadian coast after its line connected to a tow ship became detached.
The Simushir, which is disabled without power, is carrying
hundreds of tonnes of fuel and was at risk of running aground when it
was closer to shore.
However a coastguard spokesman said the vessel was now far away from the shore and did not pose that risk.
The Russia-bound ship left Washington and lost power on Friday morning.
Canadian coastguards had attached a tow line to the vessel as it was drifting in rough seas off British Columbia.
Efforts to reattach the line to the tugboat are under way, according to the Royal Canadian Navy.
It had originally been feared that the ship might hit Haida Gwaii, known as the Queen Charlotte Islands.
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The Canadian coastguards ship the Gordon Reid arrived late
on Friday and the tugboat arrived on Saturday to tow the Simushir to
Prince Rupert, British Colombia.
The ship had a crew of 11, and after it lost power on Friday the captain was rescued by helicopter.
Memories of oil spills loom large in British Columbia, where residents remember the Exxon Valdez oil spill of 1989.
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