Sub Lt. Melissa Kia of Canadian Forces Base Esquimalt said three more vessels, including a US coast guard ship were also on their way.
The ship, with a crew of 11, lost power early on Friday morning as it made its way from the US state of Washington to Russia.
The captain was rescued by a Cormorant helicopter because he was injured.
Memories of oil spills loom large in British Columbia, where residents remember the Exxon Valdez oil spill of 1989.