Dewatering of Fire-Damaged ONE Containership Completed
Approximately eight weeks after a blaze struck the containership ONE Henry Hudson while working containers at the Port of Los Angeles, operator Ocean Network Express (ONE) is reporting progress in the recovery operation for the vessel. They report that the General Average Survey process is now underway and are highlighting the arrangements for the discharge and onward movement of the import and export cargoes.
The fire had begun on the evening of November 22 forcing the evacuation of the vessel and for a time suspending operations in the Port of Los Angeles. Sources said they believed it was an electrical fire, and it was mostly contained to the hold, but they had still decided to move the ship outside the port’s breakwall.
The ONE Henry Hudson (8,212 TEU) was moved back to the Yusen Terminal at the Port of Los Angeles after teams were confident that the fire had been extinguished. The vessel’s owners quickly declared General Average, starting the process to manage the discharge of cargo from the ship within the terms of the claims.
ONE reports that water discharge operations and the discharge of distressed cargo were completed on Monday, January 12. The removal of the firefighting water required the placement of a barge alongside the ship. Water, which was contained in the flooded cargo hold, was pumped off the vessel for treatment and disposal. The first phase of the water discharge operation was completed on December 19.
The cargo discharge is a systematic process. It started with the discharge of dry containers from the affected cargo hold that were not impacted by the fire or firefighting water. That was completed by December 26. It moved on to the distressed containers.
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Discharge operations for all the remaining containers was scheduled to start in the middle of this week. The company did not say how long it expected it would take to remove these containers.
At the same time, the GA surveyor was expected to commence surveys today, January 14. Once that is completed, ONE reports containers can be released to customers at the Yusen Terminal, or it would make rail by ONE arrangements to Oakland or arrangements for inland point destinations. The company expects to continue to arrange shipment of export cargo unless instructed otherwise.