Tacoma Maritime News

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has issued its findings on the fire incident that engulfed the F/V KODIAK ENTERPRISE on April 8, 2023. At around 3:00AM, a fire broke out aboard the commercial F/V KODIAK ENTERPRISE while it was docked at the Trident Seafoods facility in Tacoma, Washington.

The initial sighting of the fire came from a deckhand aboard a neighboring vessel. A Trident security guard was alerted, who in turn notified a Trident official. The official then alerted the four crewmembers who were sleeping onboard during the scheduled overhaul. Fortunately, all emerged unharmed from the incident.

The fire raged for six days until first responders finally declared it extinguished on April 14th. No pollution or injuries were reported from the incident. However, the F/V KODIAK ENTERPRISE, valued at an estimated $56.6 million, was declared a total loss.

The 276-foot F/V KODIAK ENTERPRISE caught fire early Saturday morning April 8^th while moored at Trident Seafoods in the Tacoma Hylebos Waterway. The vessel was still burning as of Monday, April 10^th. The U.S. Coast Guard, The Tacoma Fire Department, the Washington Department of Ecology, the Environmental Protection Agency, and several other agencies have responded to this incident.

It is reported that the fire spread throughout the ship, which authorities believe has an estimated 19,000 pounds of freon and 55,000 gallons of diesel onboard. It was reported that the fire had progressed to within 100 feet of the freon tanks.

These vessel freon tanks are designed with pressure sensitive valves that release gas in emergency situations, such as overheating. Freon gas can be toxic in confined spaces or when inhaled in large quantities, but the release of the gas into the atmosphere isn’t expected to put the public at risk.

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