GAO Finds Marine Firefighting Gaps Persist at U.S. Ports

A new federal watchdog report says gaps in training, coordination and emergency planning continue to complicate the response to ship fires at U.S. ports, three years after two firefighters were killed battling a blaze aboard a cargo ship in Port Newark.

The Government Accountability Office report found 886 nearshore marine fires were reported to the U.S. Coast Guard between 2015 and 2025. Of those, 206 — nearly one-quarter — resulted in a death, injury, more than $200,000 in damage or the total loss of a vessel. Government Accountability Office

Unlike most emergencies ashore, responsibility for a ship