Containership towed to Oakland after engine room fire

Unified Command Responds To Container Ship Fire Off The Coast Of Monterey

(SAN FRANCISCO) — The unified command coordinated the safe transfer of a containership 35 miles west of Point Reyes, Calif., to the Port of Oakland on Monday.

NYK Delphinus arrived at Oakland Terminal Berth 22 at approximately 7 p.m. Monday.

Marine surveyors and a marine chemist boarded Delphinus on Monday morning. The chemist determined spaces were safe for entry and the surveyors inspected the structural integrity of the vessel. The surveyors deemed the ship seaworthy. The tugboats Patricia Ann, Revolution, Independence, Jamie Ann and Delta Lindsay completed the unified command NOAA-approved tow of Delphinus to the Port of Oakland.

Firefighting teams boarded Delphinus on Sunday evening, verified the engine room fire was extinguished, and continued hourly rounds to monitor temperatures.

There are no reported injuries and all crew are reported safe.

There are no reported signs of pollution.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

The Delphinus crew contacted Coast Guard Sector San Francisco watch standers at 4:54 a.m. Friday, reporting an engine fire aboard the ship with 24 people on board approximately 50 miles west off the coast of Monterey.

A unified command consisting of the Coast Guard, the state of California and Witt O’Brien’s was been established to respond to the fire aboard Delphinus.

Previous report

(SAN FRANCISCO) — A unified command consisting of the U.S. Coast Guard, the state of California and Resolve Marine responded to a fire aboard a containership 80 miles southwest of Big Sur on Friday.

The motor vessel NYK Delphinus contacted Coast Guard Sector San Francisco watch standers at approximately 4:54 a.m., reporting an engine fire aboard the ship. There are 24 people on board and no reported injuries.

The NYK Delphinus crew reported a continuous decrease in the temperature of the engine room’s surrounding bulkheads Sunday morning. No signs of smoke have been observed and all decks above the engine room are now accessible and have been fully ventilated.

Unified Command Responds To Container Ship Fire Off The Coast Of Monterey
U.S. Coast Guard photo

The tugboat Delta Deanna began actively towing the containership in a northerly direction at 10:55 a.m. on Saturday. At 2:55 p.m., the vessels met the tugboat Scorpius to transfer two members to Delphinus to survey the damage.

Delta Deanna and the tugboats Sarah Avrick, Delta Lindsay and Jamie Ann on Sunday continued to transit Delphinus to an offshore location west of Point Reyes. Upon arrival, additional fire and salvage teams were planning to embark to conduct structural integrity inspections and examine damage to the engine room. Once the inspection is completed, Delphinus is scheduled to transfer to Oakland Terminal Berth 22.

There are no reported signs of pollution.

Watch standers directed the launch of the Coast Guard cutter Sockeye to assess the situation and two Coast Guard Air Station San Francisco MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crews. The air crew arrived on scene at 9:26 a.m. Friday and transferred a dewatering pump to the Delphinus crew. A Coast Guard Air Station Sacramento C-27 Spartan crew provided surveillance of the vessel. Resolve Marine contracted five tugboats to assist.

– U.S. C0ast Guard

By Professional Mariner Staff