Factory Trawler Burns Out, Takes On Heavy List at Pier in Tacoma

The fire aboard the catcher-processor vessel Kodiak Enterprise has died down, according to the U.S. Coast Guard, but the response is not finished yet. The burned-out vessel is listing heavily to port, and responders are working to figure out where the source of the flooding is coming from. 

Firefighting efforts led by the Tacoma Fire Department kept the hull cooled through the three-day fire, and the agency believes that most of the flammable material on board has now burned through - including an onboard acetylene tank that exploded Saturday night (no injuries or additional damage were reported). The ship continues to emit smoke, but by early Monday, the volume had abated enough that a shelter in place order for downwind neighborhoods could be lifted.

Crews from Tacoma Fire continue to use hoses to cool the hull from the pier side and the water side as the fire burns itself out.

Images courtesy USCG

While the fire has subsided, the vessel has taken on a pronounced list to port, "more than we want it to," the response command told local King 5 News. Dewatering operations to correct the list and restore normal stability are under way, along with dive inspections to attempt to find the source of the flooding. 

So far, the responders have not spotted a spill or oil sheen in the water. As a precautionary measure, the response command has deployed three layers of containment boom around the Kodiak Enterprise, and skimmers and other spill response assets are staged nearby in case they are needed.

The three crewmembers who were aboard the vessel on the night of the fire were evacuated safely. There were injuries among the first responders, however, according to King 5: four firefighters reportedly sustained injuries during an initial attack on the fire.

The fire aboard Kodiak Enterprise is the second to affect a Trident Seafoods fishing vessel in two years. In February 2021, the Trident fish processor Aleutian Falcon caught fire at a shipyard in Tacoma during maintenance work.