NYK Delphinus Under Tow to Oakland After Fire

The containership NYK Delphinus is under to to the Port of Oakland after suffering an engine room fire on Friday off the coast of California, the U.S. Coast Guard reported Sunday.

The ship was located about 80 miles southwest of Big Sur.

“The NYK Delphinus crew reported a continuous decrease in the temperature of the engine room’s surrounding bulkheads Sunday morning. No signs of smoke have been observed and all decks above the engine room are now accessible and have been fully ventilated,” according to a Coast Guard update on the situation.

The Delphinus contacted Coast Guard Sector San Francisco watchstanders at 4:54 a.m., Friday, May 14, reporting an engine fire with 24 people on board approximately 50 miles west off the coast of Monterey.

The update from the Coast Guard said the tugboat Delta Deanna began actively towing the Delphinus in a northerly direction at 10:55 a.m. on Saturday. At 2:55 p.m., the ships met the tugboat Scorpius to transfer two members to the Delphinus to survey the damage. 

The Delta Deanna, along with the tugboats Sarah Avrick, Delta Lindsay, and Jamie Ann, are transiting the Delphinus to an offshore location west of Point Reyes. Upon arrival, additional fire and salvage teams are planning to embark on the Delphinus to conduct structural integrity inspections and examine damage to the engine room. 

Once the inspection is completed, the Delphinus is scheduled to transfer to Oakland Terminal Berth 22. 

There are no reported injuries and all crew are reported safe and accounted for. There are also no reported signs of pollution.

A Unified Command consisting of the Coast Guard, the State of California, and Witt O’Briens has been established to respond to the fire. 

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