(SAN PEDRO, Calif.) — Crews under the unified command continued their response operations Tuesday after a fire aboard the containership One Henry Hudson in the Port of Los Angeles. At 9 a.m., active firefighting operations stopped as the fire, which started on Friday, had been contained as reported by the salvage master aboard the vessel.
“Now that the fire is determined to be contained there will be a waiting period to ensure no re-flashes, or heat signatures are detected,” said U.S. Coast Guard Capt. Stacey Crecy, incident commander. “Because the containers were not able to be opened to confirm the fire is completely out, there remains some risk. However, mitigating measures have been put in place to respond to any issues that may arise.”
Salvage group DONJON-SMIT is in temporary possession of the vessel and is conducting salvage operations. The salvage group along with local partners are reviewing a plan to safely bring the ship back to an approved facility at the Port of Los Angeles. Unified command will approve a plan for safe transit that won’t affect the health of the community or response crewmembers.
Vessel stability will continue to be assessed as operations move forward to the next phases of the response.
“We will continue to work with our local partners to keep the community informed of current and future operations as we continue our operations,” said Crecy. “ Now that there is no active firefighting ongoing, we can look forward to the next steps in bringing the ship back to the pier safely and removing the cargo in a controlled state at the approved facility.”
No firefighting water has been discharged from the vessel. As One Henry Hudson operates its onboard fire pumps to supply its stand-by firefighting hoses, surplus clean sea water in the system is actively routed overboard to relieve excess pressure on the system and is isolated from contact with any containers or ship’s cargo.
This is a standard operating procedure for most commercial vessels operating in the port. All used firefighting water is being contained inside the cargo hold of the vessel. The used firefighting water inside the vessel will be offloaded under U.S. Coast Guard supervision and transported via barge or truck to a waste reception facility.
“Everyone from the salvage operations to the unified command and all the supporting agencies are working together to ensure safety of the community, the port and the response crew,” said Los Angeles Port Police Department Capt. Dan Cobos, incident commander.
There are no reports of sheen observed outside of the vessel. Responders and containment boom are staged and ready to respond if needed.
Air quality continues to be monitored to assess any impact to response crews and surrounding communities. Air monitoring will continue throughout the operations to include transit of the vessel back to port.
The Coast Guard and Port of Los Angeles Police Department continue to enforce the safety zone around the vessel. A temporary flight restriction is still in place.
The Coast Guard and National Safety Transportation Board are investigating the cause of the fire.
The unified command consists of the Coast Guard, Port of Los Angeles Police Department and a representative of the containership. The Los Angeles Fire Department is still supporting and standing by to assist when needed.
Initial report
(SAN PEDRO, Calif.) — A unified command continued to respond this weekend after a fire occurred aboard the containership One Henry Hudson on Friday evening while it was moored at Berth 218 in the Port of Los Angeles.
As of 1:30 p.m., Saturday, the fire was isolated to a single cargo hold with a fireboat on scene from the Port of Los Angeles and the Port of Long Beach. The ship has been moved to an anchorage approximately one mile from shore, near Angel’s Gate Lighthouse.
“The Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) personnel were the first to arrive on scene and immediately coordinated a response with local partners from other agencies,” said Assistant Chief Carlos Calvillo, LAFD incident commander. “Fire burned on multiple sub-levels below deck in areas that were largely inaccessible, which required a high level of communication and coordination from everyone to ensure the safety of on scene personnel and the crewmembers aboard the vessel. Remarkably, and thankfully, no injuries have been reported as a result of this ship fire.”
The Coast Guard established a safety zone approximately 0.5 nautical miles around the ship and directed vessel traffic in the area. The Coast Guard staged additional search and rescue resources nearby and is assisting in stability and hazardous material assessments of the vessel.
“We worked closely with our local partners to keep crews safe, move the vessel offshore, and prevent any disruption to the Port of Los Angeles,” said Capt. Jarrod DeWitz, Coast Guard incident commander. “We will continue to collaborate until the vessel is fully stable and no longer poses a risk to the port or the community.”
The Port of Los Angeles partnered with the Port of Long Beach to provide consistent fireboat presence to conduct fire suppression efforts and enforce the safety zone.
“The successful isolation of this vessel fire shows a strong partnership between the Port of Los Angeles and our local partners,” said Capt. Daniel Cobos, Port of Los Angeles Police Department incident commander. “Our coordinated response ensured operations continued uninterrupted at one of the largest ports in the country.”
At approximately 8 p.m. Friday, multiple agencies arrived on scene after receiving reports of smoke and fire below deck on the vessel. A unified command was established involving the Los Angeles Fire Department, the Coast Guard, the Port of Los Angeles Police Department, and the vessel representative.
Responders accounted for all 23 crewmembers with assistance from the Port of Los Angeles Police and U.S. Customs and Border Protection. No injuries were reported. Crewmembers of the vessel assisted in the movement and anchoring of the vessel outside the port and continued onboard efforts to contain the fire.
The LAFD deployed nearly 200 firefighters, hazmat units, search and rescue teams, heavy-rescue assets, air operations and fireboats.
The Environmental Protection Agency, LA County Health Hazmat, and LAFD Hazmat conducted air monitoring. The unified command issued a precautionary shelter-in-place order for San Pedro and Wilmington residents even though air quality readings were within normal ranges. The order was lifted at approximately 6:30 a.m. Saturday.
At approximately 3 a.m. Friday, agencies within the unified command coordinated an effort to undock the ship and escort it from the Port of Los Angeles and out to sea beyond Vincent Thomas Bridge, all while continuing fire suppression and monitoring safety, the air, and structural integrity of the ship.
At 4:43 a.m. Friday, One Henry Hudson anchored approximately one mile from shore, near Angel’s Gate Lighthouse.
– U.S. Coast Guard
