On 9th September, a settlement exceeding $16 million was reached in the lawsuit regarding the fire incident aboard the HOEGH XIAMEN. The settlement was made between the 11 firefighters of Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department and the vessel owner Hoegh Autoliners, operator Grimaldi Deep Sea, and port services companies Horizon Terminal Services and SSA Marine.

On 4th June 2020, a fire broke out aboard the vehicle carrier HOEGH XIAMEN at the port of JACKSONVILLE, Florida. More than hundred of firefighters responded to the fire incident and evacuated 21 crewmembers. The rescued crew members reported no injuries.

Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Departments reported that an explosion occurred that injured some of the firefighters.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) conducted an investigation and found several reasons that caused the fire incident abroad HOEGH XIAMEN. The major issue was the crew, who did not adhere to Grimaldi’s policy of disconnecting the car batteries.

NTSB stated that a fire that caused an explosion was caused by a spark from a car battery aboard the vessel. In the investigation, it was found that the car batteries were not disconnected.

The other issue noted was the crew’s lack of understanding of how to contact the local emergency authorities. The firefighter’s lawyer alleged that the crew had limited or no proficiency in English.

The fire detection system was also found to be deactivated after the cargo loading operation resulting in delay for requesting assistance .

In August 2020, the vessel HOEGH XIAMEN and its cargo of 2420 vehicles were declared a total loss of $40 million.

Pajcic & Pajcic, a law firm presenting the firefighters, stated that the settlement was negotiated and finalized with each defendant involved in the lawsuit. Hoegh Autoliners reached a confidential settlement with the firefighters. The final settlement was made before the start of the trial.