Containership that Caught Fire Still Stranded at Oakland Port

The containership NYK Delphinus, which was towed to the Port of Oakland after its engine room caught fire in May is still stranded in Northern California, the port’s communications director confirmed to PMM Online.

The Delphinus was reportedly about 50 miles west of the coast of Monterey, California, en route from the Port of Vancouver to Oakland, when the crew reported an engine fire to U.S. Coast Guard Sector San Francisco watchstanders at 4:54 a.m. Friday, May 14. The fire was eventually extinguished, and the vessel was towed by the U.S. Coast Guard to berth 22 at the Port of Oakland the evening of May 17.

Oakland port spokesman Roberto Bernardo said July 19 that the only thing that’s been offloaded from the vessel over the past couple of months is the refrigerated cargo, and that the Delphinus is expected to remain at the port for a while still, although no timeline was given.

“It will be here until the cargo is offloaded and surveyed and insurance adjusted,” Bernardo said of the vessel.

At the time of the incident, the Liberia-flagged vessel, which was built in 2007, had been operating on Ocean Network Express’ (ONE) Atlantic 5 service, which connects North America, South America and Europe. NYK is a co-owner of ONE.

There were no reported injuries to the crew or pollution resulting from the fire, according to the USCG.

By Pacific Maritime