Major Fire Erupts Onboard One Henry Hudson in Port of Los Angeles

A severe fire broke out onboard One Henry Hudson during off-loading at the port of Los Angeles on November 21. The crew was transported to safety and no injuries has been reported.

It was in the late hours on Friday that the Los Angeles fire department got reports of a fire onboard the 336m long container vessel. According to the fire department the fire started below deck and within an hour an explosion was reported on the mid-deck. The fire and explosion disrupted the ships power and crane operations which initiated a large fire fighting respons, mobilising 187 firefighters. According to the coordinating officer on the scene, the fire burned on multiple sub-levels that was largely inaccessible.

Furhermore, it was early on confirmed by the authorities that the vessel was carrying hazardous material. The fire fighting respons was therefore ordered to put on full protective and respiratory equipment. The efforts contained monitoring the air quality and cooling the ship from the external side of the hull.

Following the fire, four of the seven container terminals have suspended operations and there was established an 1 nautical mile safety sone around the vessel.

At approximately 3:00AM on Saturday morning the decision was made to initiate the undocking, and towing, of the 98,849 tonn container vessel out to an anchorage approximately one mile from shore. Near Angel’s Gate Lighthouse. At 4:43AM the operation was deemed successful and at 1:30 PM, the fire was isolated to a single cargo hold with fire boats continuing to provide consistent fire suppressing efforts.

Fire suppressing operations are expected to continue while salvage teams continue their work under the coordination of all agencies in Unified Command.

The direct cause of the fire has not yet been determined and the relevant authorities has initiated an investigation.

According to ShipAtlas, the ONE Henry Hudson, built in 2008, was off loading cargo from Tokyo, Japan when the incident happened.