A fire onboard the Chiquita Voyager brought a major emergency response to the port of Wilmington on Wednesday morning, leaving four crewmembers injured, the second fire incident at an American port in under a week.

The Chiquita Voyager, a 2,700 teu boxship vessel owned by United Reefer Services, reported an engine-room fire shortly after 09:30 local time.

According to Wilmington fire officials, the blaze originated in a generator and quickly intensified, prompting the master to activate the ship’s onboard suppression system while calling for shore assistance.

Battalion Chief Eric Haley, the first senior officer on scene, described smoke billowing from the vessel’s superstructure as fire crews arrived. Around 70 firefighters boarded the ship to carry out fire-suppression operations and evacuate crewmembers from affected compartments.

The onboard CO₂ system helped contain the flames within the engine-room boundaries, allowing shore teams to focus on cooling, ventilation, and hotspot control. It took approximately three hours for the fire to be brought under control, with units remaining alongside through the afternoon to guard against flare-ups.

Four crewmembers suffered injuries during the incident and were transported to a nearby hospital. Authorities have not yet released details on their condition.

The Chiquita Voyager was alongside the port of Wilmington’s fruit-import terminal when the fire broke out. The port is one of the United States’ largest gateways for bananas and refrigerated cargo.

Meanwhile, on the west coast, crews spent yesterday returning the fire-hit ONE Henry Hudson boxship to Yusen Terminal at the port of Los Angeles, as the fire onboard – raging since last Friday – has been fully contained.