The equipment — which contains cancer-causing polychlorinated biphenyl commonly called PCBs — came from military installations in Japan, said Lt. Cmdr. Jeff Davis, a spokesman for Navy Region Hawai'i.

They were initially shipped earlier this month from Yokohama on the civilian freighter Green Cove, but the ship caught fire 200 miles out of port, Davis said. The Green Cove had to be towed back to Japan and its toxic cargo loaded on another ship, the USNS Watson.

But the Watson was too big for the harbor at Yokohama and the PCBs had to be unloaded and moved to the port at Yokosuka, where the Watson was waiting. The Watson arrived at Pearl Harbor on Friday.

The fire in the engine room did not affect the cargo.

The 59, 20-foot containers and nine pieces of bulk cargo will be stored here for 10 to 30 days. They are bound for Port Hueneme, Calif., which is north of Los Angeles.

"They are double-sealed and packaged," Davis said. "All items are packaged using drip pans and liquid-absorbing material under each piece of equipment."

None of the containers will be opened in Hawai'i.

Federal law forbids importing foreign-made PCBs to the United States. The military had an import permit that expired April 17, prompting the Navy to route the Watson to Pearl Harbor to meet the deadline.