Coast Guard: Cargo ship fire is contained near LA port

The fire that began Nov. 21 aboard the container ship ONE Henry Hudson in the Port of Los Angeles was contained as of yesterday morning, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.

Active firefighting operations were stopped at 9 a.m. local time yesterday, but response crews are continuing their operations, according to Coast Guard officials said in a press release. 

“Now that the fire is determined to be contained, there will be a waiting period to ensure no reflashes, 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.”

The Coast Guard and the National Safety Transportation Board are investigating the cause of the fire.

The ship was moved out to sea and away from the port on Nov. 23. 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. Unified command will approve a plan for safe transit that won’t affect the health of the community or response crew members, Coast Guard officials said.

Air quality continues to be monitored 24/7 and will continue throughout the operations to include transit of the vessel back to port, they said.

The Port of Los Angeles has on-dock rail service through the Pacific Harbor Line Inc., a short line that also serves the Port of Long Beach and interchanges with BNSF Railway and Union Pacific Railroad.