Tacoma-moored fishing ship declared safe after two weeks of fire, feared fuel spills
After nearly two weeks of spraying water and pumping out fuel the fire and environmental hazards aboard a seafood processing ship moored at the Port of Tacoma are over, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.
A unified command made up of the Tacoma Fire Department, Coast Guard, state Department of Ecology and Puyallup Tribe of Indians stood down Friday, the Coast Guard said in a statement.
In the early morning hours of April 8, a fire aboard the fishing vessel Kodiak Enterprise was reported as the ship was moored in the Hylebos Waterway.
The stubborn fire burned throughout the ship for over a week as fire boats sprayed nearly continuous streams of water on the Trident Seafoods ship’s hull.
The fire prompted the Tacoma Fire Department to issue a temporary shelter in place order for northeast Tacoma neighborhoods.
The ship, which contained 55,000 gallons of diesel, soon began listing but remained stable. Over the last several days, both the fuel and water were carefully removed to maintain stability.
“All of the diesel remaining aboard the vessel was successfully removed with no fuel spilled or sheening observed during defueling operations,” the Coast Guard said.
Booms were added around the ship early in the emergency to contain any fuel or oil spills.
“This was a dangerous operation that could have resulted in loss of life, harm to the marine environment from the fuel onboard, or capsizing of the vessel,” said Cmdr. Kira Moody, the Coast Guard incident commander.
Early in the conflagration, officials expressed concern about the fire reaching tanks that held 19,000 pounds of freon. But the tanks are designed to release the gas when sensors detect a fire. By the time crews reached the tanks, they were empty.
Trident Seafoods CEO Joe Bundrant said the company is grateful for the various agencies that responded to the fire and subsequent environmental hazard.
“We also appreciate the patience of the surrounding Tacoma community throughout the incident response,” Bundrant said. “The Kodiak Enterprise is more than just a fishing vessel to the Trident family, especially to her crew.”
The Coast Guard and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the fire. Whether the ship will be repaired or scrapped has not yet been determined, the Coast Guard said.
A claims process for anyone suffering a financial loss from the fire will remain open. The claims number is 206-378-6090.
This story was originally published April 22, 2023 at 9:44 AM.
