Trident Seafoods declares ship ‘total loss’ after fire at Port of Tacoma

Trident Seafoods lost one of its fleet overnight after a massive fire broke out while the ship was docked at the Port of Tacoma on Wednesday night.

Tacoma firefighters battled the fire into Thursday.

The vessel, the 233-foot Alaskan fish processor Aleutian Falcon, was moored at Trident Seafoods on Pier 12 near the mouth of the Hylebos Waterway.

On Thursday, Trident Seafoods told The News Tribune in an emailed statement: “The Aleutian Falcon, the company’s smallest seasonal processing vessel, was a total loss to the fire.”

The company said no one was injured.

“We are grateful to the Tacoma Fire Department for their swift response and watch on scene, and that no one was injured,” said Trident CEO Joe Bundrant in Thursday’s statement. “We will conduct a full investigation of cause.”

The Aleutian Falcon is moored at Trident’s Tacoma facility between its time in Alaska supporting summer salmon fisheries. When operating, the vessel with a crew of 120 supplemented Trident’s shore-based and larger processing vessel operations throughout Alaska, according to the company.

The Port of Tacoma announced Thursday afternoon: “As of approximately 1:30 p.m., the U.S. Coast Guard lifted the vessel restriction for commercial traffic in the Hylebos and Blair waterways.”

The Tacoma Fire Department tweeted about 7 a.m. Thursday: “This fire continues to burn but has been maintained to just the ship of origin. Crews have this fire well under control and the ammonia tanks that were of great concern have been continuously cooled and are intact at this time.”

The department also reported that booms had been placed in the water to help contain fuel or other spills from the ruined ship.

The fire boat Destiny and several engines were called to fight the blaze, which was reported shortly before 11 p.m Wednesday. The West Pierce fire boat Endeavor joined about 11:45 p.m. and the Tacoma fire boat Defiance at 1 a.m.

Engine companies on the scene were reporting two large plumes of black smoke from the ship and towering flames amidships. At midnight, the ship was reported listing heavily.

A second alarm was called shortly after the first crews arrived about 11 p.m.

The fire department requested response from the U.S. Coast Guard and the state Department of Ecology.

At 11:56 p.m., TFD reported on Twitter: “The fire continues to burn and crews have taken a defensive strategy as conditions are too unsafe for firefighters to board the vessel. Fireboat Destiny and West Pierce Fireboat Endeavor continue to use master streams to apply water.”

Foss tugboats were assisting firefighters in moving other vessels in danger from the fire. One of them, the vessel Constitution, was cut loose from the pier and towed into Commencement Bay.

At one point, TFD requested help from the Seattle fire boat Leschi, which got underway but was still two hours out when the request was canceled about 12:30 a.m.

Radio transmissions from the scene indicated there were 9,800 pounds of ammonia stored near the stern of the Aleutian Falcon. Fire boats were directing water to keep the fire away from that area. There was also concern about an oil barge moored near the bow of the vessel, and the tug Wedell Foss was working to pull it clear.

By 1 a.m. firefighters were reporting several large cracks in the steel hull of the ship, and commanders shifted strategy to cooling the hull. Flames from inside the ship were issuing from one of the cracks and threatening the dock. All three fire boats directed their aim to the hull at about three feet about dock level.

The fire continued to burn fiercely deep inside the hull, and the list became so pronounced that some crews were pulled back from the dock.

“We continue to hit the fire to no effect,” a crew member of the Defiance radioed about 2 a.m.

By Thursday afternoon, Tacoma Fire officials tweeted: “Update: this fire continues to burn. The hull of the vessel is still sound and Tacoma Fire will be working with Trident to develop a de-watering plan to start removing water from the hull space to ensure this vessel does not sink.”

This story was originally published February 18, 2021 at 12:06 AM.