Fire stricken ONE container ship moved to anchorage after blaze brought under control in Port of LA

The fire-stricken ONE container ship ONE Henry Hudson has been relocated to an offshore anchorage near the Port of LA after emergency crews reported that the onboard blaze was now “substantially under control”. The vessel was shifted away from its berth as response teams continued cooling operations and monitored remaining hotspots.

 

US Coast Guard officials said in a 23 November update that by early Sunday afternoon the fire had been confined to a single cargo hold. Fireboats from both Los Angeles and Long Beach remained on scene, maintaining water curtains around the ship.

 

The incident began on the evening of 21 November, when a fire broke out in a below-deck compartment while the Panama-flagged vessel was berthed at Yusen Container Terminal. The ship is operated by Ocean Network Express (ONE). Nearly 200 firefighters were deployed as part of the multi-agency response, prompting temporary operational disruptions across several terminals.

 

Authorities confirmed that all 23 crew members were safely evacuated after initially assisting firefighters with access to the lower decks. No injuries have been reported. According to LAFD, the fire had spread through multiple sub-levels that were difficult to reach, and an onboard explosion around 8 p.m. caused a loss of lighting and crane power.

 

As structural conditions worsened, Unified Command ordered responders to withdraw from the vessel, and firefighting shifted to exterior operations using fireboats. At approximately 3 a.m. on 22 November, tugboats began a coordinated effort to move the ONE Henry Hudson away from the terminal. The ship was successfully positioned roughly one mile offshore, near Angel’s Gate Lighthouse.

 

The Port of Los Angeles said on 22 November that the situation had stabilized and port operations resumed that morning, while fire suppression efforts continued from both ship personnel and shoreside agencies.

 

Source: Seatrade-Maritime

Picture: LA Fire Department Flickr