The Port of Los Angeles reported that crews, under the Unified Command, continue their response operations November 25, after a fire occurred aboard the containership ONE Henry Hudson in the port on November 21.
As of 9 a.m. on November 25, active firefighting operations stopped, as the fire has 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. "Following the waiting period, crews will conduct a stability analysis of the vessel to determine it's safe for transit back to the pier and the cargo can be offloaded."
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 are in temporary possession of the vessel and are 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 crew members. 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 on-going, 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."
The Port Authority said that no firefighting water has been discharged from the vessel. As the 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. The port said 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 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 Captain 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 24/7 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. Real-time air quality updates can be found on the Port's air quality monitoring site, here.
The Coast Guard and Port of Los Angeles Police Department continues 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 U.S. Coast Guard, Port of Los Angeles Police Department and a representative of the container ship. The Los Angeles Fire Department is still supporting and standing by to assist when needed.