A major fire aboard the containership ONE HENRY HUDSON at the Port of Los Angeles was brought under control after a coordinated multi-agency response that saw the vessel moved offshore, with all 23 crew members safely evacuated and no injuries reported.

The incident began at 6:38 PM on Friday, November 21, when fire broke out aboard the docked vessel at 701 East New Dock Street in San Pedro. The incident prompted a major firefighting operation involving nearly 200 Los Angeles City Fire Department personnel, supported by the Long Beach Fire Department, the United States Coast Guard, Los Angeles Port Police, and the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services.

The fire presented significant challenges from the outset. Flames burned on multiple sub-levels below deck in largely inaccessible areas. At approximately 8:00 PM, a mid-ship explosion knocked out power to the vessel’s lights and cranes. After hazardous materials were identified in several affected bays, Unified Command made the decision to withdraw all personnel from the ship and continue fire suppression from a safe distance using master streams from fire engines and fire boats.

The firefighting effort deployed resources from land, sea, and air. LAFD’s specialized teams included Heavy Rescue, HazMat, USAR, Fire Boats, and Air Operations units. Long Beach Fire Department contributed two Battalion Chiefs, a foam apparatus, and Fire Boats 15 and 20 to work alongside LAFD’s five fire boats. Thermal imaging from a CalOES FIRIS fixed-wing aircraft provided critical monitoring of fire conditions and heat signatures from above.

As a precautionary measure, Unified Command issued a shelter-in-place order for San Pedro and Wilmington residents, though continuous air monitoring by LAFD HazMat teams showed air quality readings in the smoke plume remained within normal ranges.

At approximately 3:00 AM on Saturday, November 22, agencies coordinated a large-scale operation to undock the vessel and escort it from the Port of Los Angeles out to sea beyond the Vincent Thomas Bridge. By 4:43 AM, ONE HENRY HUDSON was successfully anchored approximately one mile from shore near Angel’s Gate Lighthouse.

With the ship safely positioned in open water, the shelter-in-place order was lifted at 6:30 AM on November 22. Fire suppression operations continue as salvage teams begin their work under the coordination of all partner agencies.

The incident temporarily disrupted port operations, with four of the Port’s seven container terminals suspending operations and State Route 47 closed due to smoke and visibility concerns. The Port of Los Angeles has since resumed operations.

The Panama-flagged ship has capacity of 8,212 TEU.

The fire comes at a critical time for the Port of Los Angeles, which is on track to surpass 10 million TEUs in 2025 for the third time in its history. “If we reach that milestone, it would be the third time in our history and something no other Western Hemisphere port has achieved even once,” Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka said in a recent media briefing. After processing 8,655,489 TEUs through October, the port remains within reach of this historic benchmark.

All 23 crew members were safely evacuated with assistance from Los Angeles Port Police and United States Customs and Border Protection, and remarkably, no injuries have been reported.

Subscribe for Daily Maritime Insights

Sign up for gCaptain’s newsletter and never miss an update

— trusted by our 106,966 members