A U.S. tuna vessel, the American Eagle, caught fire last week in Pacific Ocean waters about 1,800 nautical miles south of the Hawaiian Islands.
A short circuit originating from one of the aggregates sparked the flames, which later engulfed the entire engine and superstructure. Unable to extinguish the blaze, the 42 seaman comprising the vessel’s crew abandoned the ship on two life rafts, three work boats and one skiff. The U.S. Coast Guard was notified of the fire by way of a radio beacon activated by the crew members.
On 11 February, the oil tanker Fong Seong 888 – positioned 90 nautical miles away from the flaming vessel – headed toward the area to provide support for the adrift crewmembers. The Coast Guard also dispatched its HC-130 Hercules airplane to monitor the condition of the seamen and the state of the American Eagle; the aircraft dropped a pump, flashlights and flares at the scene. American Eagle’s sister vessel, American Victory, also made its way to the area to relieve Fong Seong 888 tanker.
All crewmembers are reported safe and without injury, officials told CNN. The captain and eight other members of the crew were able to suppress the engine and restart the generator before abandoning the boat.
The American Eagle measures in at about 89.21 meters in length, with the deadweight of the ship coming in at around 2,535 DWT and the gross tonnage coming in at 2,310 GRT. The vessel was built by Ching Fu Shipbuilding in Kauhsiung, Taiwan in 2003 and is owned by American Eagle Fishing LLC.
