Jacksonville Firefighters Settle Ship Explosion Suit for $16 Million

Eleven Jacksonville firefighters injured in a shipboard explosion and fire in 2020, have reached a $16 million settlement of their lawsuit against the ship’s owners and several other parties. The suit was originally filed in Duval County Circuit Court, and removed to the US District Court for the Middle District of Florida.

The firefighters named Hoegh Autoliners Shipping, Hoegh Autoliners Management, Hoegh Autoliners, Inc., Grimaldi Deep Sea, Horizon Terminal Services and SSA Atlantic, LLC. as defendants, accusing each of negligence. The ship, Hoegh Xiamen, was a vehicle carrier transporting 2420 vehicles at the time. It was declared a total loss after the fire.

According to the Maritime Executive:

• 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.

The Maritime Executive also quoted the firefighter’s attorney, Curry Pajcic, as saying:

• 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.

Here is our original coverage of the filing of the lawsuit.

Here is coverage of an earlier ruling in the case concluding that the firefighters’ claims were not barred by the firefighter’s rule.