Reported by Star-Bulletin staff & wire
Monday, September 1, 1997
Matson Navigation Co. said the Seattle Fire Department is investigating the cause of a cargo ship fire that damaged about 50 Hawaii-bound containers. Containers damaged
in Matson ship fireThe company said a fire broke out Saturday aboard the S.S. Manulani in the Port of Seattle. There were no injuries and the company had no estimate of the cost of the damage. Undamaged cargo will be taken to Oakland, Calif., and Los Angeles to be placed aboard other Honolulu-bound ships, a Matson spokesman said.
The Manulani had been scheduled to arrive in Hawaii next Monday. The new arrangements will mean at least a 24-hour delay in the arrival of the goods, Matson said. Customers have been notified, the company said.
About 100 firefighters battled the fire that broke out below deck where wooden pallets were stored. A fire official said welding may have touched off the blaze.
Matson's S.S. Manukai is expected to arrive in Seattle on Friday to cover the Manulani's scheduled until the ship is repaired.
The Fishmonger's Wife Restaurant at Ala Moana Center closed Saturday night because its lease wasn't renewed. Fishmonger's Wife
closes at Ala MoanaCenter management said expansion plans and the soft economy were factors in the decision.
Earlier this year, the restaurant's owner, Pacific Food Services Inc., closed Orson's Seafood Restaurant at Ward Warehouse and the Chinese Chuck Wagon at Ward Farmers Market as part of a Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection filing. At the time, the company said it planned to keep Fishmonger's Wife open, along with the Chowder House at Ward Warehouse and Byron's Drive Inn near Honolulu Airport.