The head of the nation’s largest port said the Trump administration has not offered any assistance following a fire that broke out on a container ship Friday and continues to burn outside the port.
“Since taking office, we have been trying to set up a meeting with the Trump Cabinet and (U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer),” Gene Seroka, executive director of the Port of Los Angeles, told CNBC on Sunday.
USTR, the Department of Transportation, and the Department of Commerce did not respond to requests for comment.
An electrical fire broke out on the lower deck of the Ocean Network Express (ONE) container ship One Henry Hudson at 6:38 p.m. local time Friday, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department. The explosion occurred shortly before 8 p.m., shaking the ship and cutting off power to lights and cranes, LAFD said.
Nearby residents were ordered to evacuate indoors because dangerous materials were on board. The shelter-in-place order was lifted on Saturday.
A spokesperson for ONE said the safety of all crew members aboard the One Henry Hudson has been confirmed. Seroka Port Director said that of the 8,000 containers on board the ship, about 117 were physically damaged.
A ONE spokesperson said: “ONE is deeply concerned about this incident and is closely monitoring the situation. We would like to thank the first responders at the scene and remain committed to supporting incident management and the ensuing investigation.”
On Saturday, the ship was moved four miles offshore to prevent the fire from damaging port infrastructure. After that, the terminal resumed operation.
“The ship was about two-thirds full,” Seroka said. “Once all the hotspots are extinguished, we need to assess how much of the cargo will be lost depending on the amount of water used to extinguish the fire.”
Data scientists at Vizion, which tracks containers on ships in real time, said the containers on the ship contained machinery. For auto parts toyota motorscomponent of ; caterpillar;Fresh fruit. nike Additional footwear from unidentified brands such as footwear, tennis shoes, apparel, and sportswear. Steel parts for automobile manufacturers honda motor industry;For many shippers including frozen beef hilton food solutions; and medical personal protective equipment (PPE).
Seroka said the sooner the administration can push for a cleanup, the sooner U.S. companies will know whether their cargo can be considered a loss.
“I’ve been doing this job for 12 years,” Seroka said. “American companies need to know what’s going on with their shipments. We’re working as quickly as we can, but we need the federal government to step in and make this move faster.”
Seroka said he spoke with Maryland Governor Wes Moore. Mr. Moore’s office connected Mr. Seroka with the executive who oversees the Francis Scott Key Bridge Cleanup Committee.
“I’m reaching out to everyone I know,” Seroka said.
The U.S. Coast Guard is leading the salvage effort. A spokesperson for the U.S. Coast Guard’s Joint Information Center, which is in charge of the operation, told CNBC the fire is under control and fire boats are on standby to extinguish and cool the area.
Still, there is still no coordination at the federal level to address the cleanup, Seroka said.
“We know things will get done faster if the Trump administration is involved,” he said.
“The Port of Los Angeles is the largest container port in the Western Hemisphere and the busiest port in North America,” Seroka emphasized. “The administration should contact us.”
“Thankfully, the terminal is operational, but there will be cargo losses and extensive cleaning ahead,” he said.
Seroka said the lack of coordination or even communication with Trump administration officials is in stark contrast to his experience with previous administrations.
“I met with President (Joe Biden) three times during his term. I also met with (former Secretary of Transportation) Pete Buttigieg,” he said. “During the Obama administration, I met with (former Commerce Secretary) Penny Pritzker and (former Labor Secretary) Thomas Perez.”
Seroka also said he had no contact with Trump administration officials during the president’s first term, which is notable given that the family of former Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao owns and operates the New York-based global shipping company Foremost Group.
Insurers say what made the One Henry Hudson fire unique was that it occurred at a berth in a U.S. port.
“Container ship fires are notoriously difficult to extinguish,” said John Miklas, president of the National Association of Marine Insurers. He said crew firefighting training and onboard resources are limited, and “we don’t need to worry about sea conditions with wind and waves.”
In this case, the ship was at an anchorage along a calm coast, and trained professional firefighters and fireboats were on scene to extinguish the fire, Mickles said.
“Even with all the help, it still took hours to get the situation under control,” Mickles said.
For marine insurance companies, the problems posed by ship fires are compounded by undeclared or misdeclared cargo such as lithium-ion batteries and other hazardous cargo.
Mr Seroka confirmed that these types of potentially dangerous substances were on board the ship.
“Once a fire starts, you can’t put it out,” Seroka said. “This is one of the reasons why we moved the ship out of port.”
As the U.S. Coast Guard continues to fight the fires, the need for federal agents to be involved in the firefighting effort is critical.
“We have federally approved work related to the removal of container ship fires,” Seroka said.
“We need the Trump administration to push forward,” he added, adding, “Even if the fire is completely extinguished, it will take time to clean up the situation.”
