ONE Henry Hudson Returns to Port After Multi-Day Fire Containment Operation

The containership ONE Henry Hudson has returned to its berth at the Yusen Terminal at the Port of Los Angeles following a multi-day firefighting operation that successfully contained a cargo fire which erupted while the vessel was moored last Friday.

Under the leadership of a Unified Command comprising the U.S. Coast Guard, Port of Los Angeles Police Department, and the vessel’s representative, crews are moving into the next phase of operations focused on safely offloading cargo and water accumulated during firefighting efforts.

The incident began Friday evening when fire broke out in hard-to-reach lower-deck compartments while the vessel was berthed at port. All 23 crew members were safely evacuated with no injuries reported.

The response drew nearly 200 Los Angeles City firefighters, supported by Long Beach Fire, the Coast Guard, Port Police, and Cal OES. A mid-ship explosion late Friday knocked out the ship’s power, forcing crews to retreat and fight the blaze from the pier.

After hazmat risks were identified, Unified Command ordered the vessel undocked and moved offshore in a major overnight operation. By early Saturday, the ship was anchored approximately one mile off Angel’s Gate Lighthouse, where boundary cooling, container-by-container suppression, and stability assessments continued.

“The vessel’s safe transit and return to port is a testament to the continued partnership of this Unified Command and all of the supporting agencies who have been working around the clock since the start of this incident,” said U.S. Coast Guard Capt. Stacey Crecy, the response’s Incident Commander. “Our top priority is continuing to ensure the safety of this operation through its completion.”

On Wednesday, crews assessed the vessel’s stability to prepare for its transit back to port. Longshore labor crews completed lashing of the ship’s cargo Wednesday afternoon while the ship was at anchorage.

A safety zone remained in effect as the vessel transited back to port, with firefighting assets transiting alongside and remaining on standby.

The Coast Guard and Los Angeles Port Police Hazardous Materials Team are actively monitoring air quality on the vessel and in surrounding communities. Levels remain below State and Federal action levels, with no impacts detected outside the established safety zone.

All hazardous materials have been contained on the vessel, including water used in firefighting efforts. Once the vessel returns to its berth, firefighting water will be removed and transported to a facility for treatment.

The salvage group DONJON-SMIT has been in temporary possession of the vessel and has flown in experts from around the world to execute marine firefighting efforts and prepare the ship for a safe transit into port.

“We are working with the salvage experts, vessel’s crew, local labor and the whole of the unified command to bring this incident to a safe conclusion,” said Los Angeles Port Police Deputy Chief Greg McManus, Incident Commander.

Vessel stability will continue to be assessed as operations move forward. Once the vessel returns to its berth, salvage and longshore labor crews will work together to remove the affected and unaffected cargo from the ship.

Salvors had been focusing on cargo hold 03, now estimated to be 80% flooded from initial firefighting efforts, with no current concerns about vessel stability reported.

The incident triggered temporary shutdowns at four of seven container terminals and closures on State Route 47 due to smoke, though port operations have since resumed. The Coast Guard and National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the cause of the fire.

“We are grateful to our partners who successfully contained and extinguished the fire aboard container ship ONE Henry Hudson,” the Port of Los Angeles said in a statement. “With community safety as the top priority, their valiant, combined efforts allowed for safe transport of the ship. Our entire port community is thankful.”

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