Kodiak Enterprise fire: Response continues

In the coming days, responders will ensure the Kodiak Enterprise is safe for investigators to get on board and for crews to proceed with salvage work. [USCG photograph]

The unified command responding to the fire that broke out aboard the fishing vessel Kodiak Enterprise on April 10 (see earlier story) said yesterday that firefighting crews from Tacoma Fire Department and Resolve Marine were continuing to access interior spaces to put out hot spots and look for standing water.

Previously, the unified command reported that the shelter in place order that had been put in place over concerns raised by smoke had been lifted.

Responders also confirmed that none of the 19,000 pounds of freon aboard the catcher processor remained in the tanks aboard the vessel, which are designed to release pressure in an emergency. Responders believe the freon was slowly released during the fire. The release of freon into the atmosphere is not expected to pose any health and safety risks to the public. (It is not, of course, good news for the environment, with the continued use of ozone-depleting and climate-harmful refrigerants in fishing vessels long being a cause for concern to scientists.)

In the coming days, responders will ensure the ship is safe for investigators to get on board and for crews to proceed with salvage work, including removal of the reported 55,000 gallons of diesel onboard. The Coast Guard and NTSB will conduct an investigation into the cause of the fire.

Smoke coming from the Kodiak Enterprise has diminished but air monitoring continues as a precaution. Particulate levels at the incident site and in nearby neighborhoods have not shown levels of concern.

Dewatering operations are continuing in order to improve stability. Firefighters continue applying water to the outside of the vessel to cool the hull.

No new sheens were observed yesterday, but the vessel is surrounded by three layers of containment boom. Responders and equipment are also staged and ready to respond if pollution is observed in the waterway.

The Kodiak Enterprise is moored at owner Trident Seafoods’ facility on the Hylebos Waterway in Tacoma, where a safety zone has been established.

Vessels can request to transit the safety zone. Recreational vessels should contact the Coast Guard via marine radio on VHF-21A or contact 206-217-6002. Commercial traffic should contact Seattle Traffic on VHF-14. Vessels transiting the zone musr maintain a slow speed and no wake. The Coast Guard Local Notice to Mariners can be found HERE