Firefighters Injured in 2020 RoRo Fire Receive $16M in Lawsuit Settlements

Firefighters injured during a 2020 fire aboard the car carrier Hoegh Xiamen while the vessel was docked in Jacksonville, Florida, have settled their legal claims with the owners and operators of the vessel and the port services companies. Lawyers representing the 11 injured firemen from the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department said the total settlement, which amounts to more than $16 million, is historic because it was the first time first responders were able to hold negligent the ship owners and shippers.

The 11 firefighters were injured while fighting a multiday inferno aboard the Hoegh Xiamen, a 12,250 dwt car carrier registered in Norway. The vessel, which had a capacity for up to 4,900 vehicles, was owned by Hoegh but operated under charter to Grimaldi Deepsea. It was preparing to depart Jacksonville on June 4, 2020, with approximately 2,400 used cars aboard.

More than 150 firefighters responded to the vessel and were able to evacuate the 21 crewmembers without reported injuries. The firefighters were in a stair tower aboard the ship when there was an explosion that caused burns as well as at least one broken arm. The firefighters were taken to a local hospital.

The subsequent investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board found several issues including the crew had failed to follow a Grimaldi policy to disconnect the car’s batteries and cover them with a protective shield. The lawyers contended that as many as 70 percent of the cars still had their batteries attached and it was a battery that started the fire. A spark from a battery they contend caused the explosion that injured the firefighters.

Other issues cited in the report included the master and crew’s lack of knowledge on how to contact local emergency resources. The NTSB also reported after the vessel was loaded the crew failed to restore the fire alarm system which they contend further contributed to the delayed response to the fire. The lawyers also alleged that communications were difficult because the crew spoke little or no English.

A Florida personal injury law firm, Pajcic & Pajcic, filed suit on behalf of the firefighters naming Hoegh and Grimaldi as well as Horizon Terminal Services and SSA Marine. The cases had been due to go to trial.

Attorney Curry Pajcic at a news conference on Monday contended, "For the first time in American judice prudence, in the history of maritime law, first responders have now been recognized to have a right to hold negligent ship owners and negligent shippers accountable and responsible when they cause harm to first responders."

Pajcic was announcing that they had reached a settlement with Horizon, SSA, and Grimaldi for approximately $16 million. Hoegh Autoliners, which was responsible for crewing the vessel according to the lawyers, reached a confidential settlement with the firefighters.

The vessel was declared a total loss. In August 2020, after salvage operations were completed, the Hoegh Xiamen was towed to Turkey to be recycled. The NTSB set the value of the loss at $40 million.

The case could also have implications in another tragedy that claimed the lives of two Newark, New Jersey firefighters. In July 2023, a fire broke out aboard the Grande Costa d’Avorio, an Italian-flagged conro operated by Grimaldi, while it was loading in Port Newark. The firefighters became separated from their teams and died on the vessel early in the firefight which also went on for days.