Update #5: Sept. 7, 2023 - 10:45 p.m. ET
At about 3:30 p.m. PDT 5 Sept., NOAA Ship Rainier experienced a fire on board during operations off American Samoa. The fire has been extinguished and all personnel on board are safe.
The ship and crew have now safely arrived in port in Pago Pago, American Samoa. They arrived at approximately 3 p.m. local time.
Our priority is to ensure the health and safety of our crew, as we continue to assess the condition of the ship and determine next steps.
This will be the final update on this incident.
For media inquiries, please contact: omao.publicaffairs@noaa.gov
Update #4: Sept. 7, 2023 - 2:00 p.m. ET
At about 3:30 p.m. PDT 5 Sept., NOAA Ship Rainier experienced a fire on board during operations off American Samoa. The fire has been extinguished and all personnel on board are safe.
The ship is now underway and heading into port in Pago Pago, American Samoa, with an expected arrival this afternoon (7 Sept.), local time.
The crew has assessed any damage and restored most of the ship’s systems, including the internet. Most of the ship has power and air conditioning.
We are in regular contact with the ship’s command and our primary goals are to ensure everyone remains safe and return the ship to port as soon as possible.
Our team is continuing to assess the situation and will provide further updates as they are available.
For media inquiries, please contact: omao.publicaffairs@noaa.gov
Update #3: Sept. 6, 2023 - 9:30 p.m. ET
At about 3:30 p.m. PDT yesterday (5 Sept.), NOAA Ship Rainier experienced a fire on board during operations off American Samoa. The fire has been extinguished and all personnel on board are safe.
The crew has assessed any damage and restored most of the ship’s systems. The ship is now underway and is heading into port in Pago Pago, American Samoa, with an expected arrival the evening of 7 Sept.
Most of the ship has power and air conditioning. The ship’s internet connection remains down.
We are in regular contact with the ship’s command and our primary goals are to ensure everyone remains safe and return the ship to port as soon as possible.
Our team is continuing to assess the situation and will provide further updates on this page as they are available.
This is the final update for 6 Sept. This page will be updated again on 7 Sept.
For media inquiries, please contact: omao.publicaffairs@noaa.gov
Update #2: Sept., 6, 2023 - 6:30 p.m. ET
At about 3:30 p.m. PDT yesterday (5 Sept.), NOAA Ship Rainier experienced a fire on board during operations off American Samoa. The fire has been extinguished and all personnel on board are safe.
We remain in regular contact with the ship’s command and our primary goals are to ensure everyone remains safe and return the ship to port as soon as possible.
The ship’s internet connection remains down.
Our team is continuing to assess the situation and will provide further updates to this page as they are available.
For media inquiries, please contact: omao.publicaffairs@noaa.gov
Update #1: Sept. 6, 2023 - 3:30 p.m. ET
At about 3:30 p.m. PDT yesterday (5 Sept.), NOAA Ship Rainier experienced a fire on board during operations off American Samoa. The fire has been extinguished and all personnel on board are safe.
This is what we can confirm at this time:
There are 41 people on board and no injuries have been reported.
The fire was in the exhaust stacks and has impacted the ability to use the ship’s propulsion system. The incident has disabled their phone and internet connectivity, however we still have satellite phones to communicate with the ship’s command. Water and sewer are functional, and power has been restored to around 70% of the vessel.
Our primary goals are to ensure everyone remains safe and to quickly return the ship to port. We have notified the U.S. Coast Guard and the Department of Defense and are working to identify any available resources in the area in case they are needed.
Our team is continuing to assess the situation and will provide further updates to this page as they are available.
For media inquiries, please contact: omao.publicaffairs@noaa.gov