NTSB to Address Maritime Safety Concerns in Public Forum Following Tragic Grande Costa D’Avorio Blaze

Teh National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is set to hold a public meeting on April 15 to investigate the tragic fire that broke out on the roll-on/roll-off ship Grande Costa D’Avorio, which resulted in the deaths of two firefighters in Newark, New Jersey. this incident unfolded on July 5, 2023, when a pusher vehicle ignited while loading cars onto an internal garage deck. The chaos escalated as two firefighters became lost in the thick smoke and ultimately lost their lives. Additionally, six other emergency responders were injured during their efforts to manage the situation.

Preliminary findings from an ongoing Coast Guard investigation revealed that local firefighters lacked adequate training and experience for maritime firefighting scenarios. “They had little familiarity with cargo vessels,” investigators noted.

At that time, Grimaldi Group operated the vessel, which was transporting around 1,200 vehicles along with 157 containers—none of which included electric or hazardous materials.

The U.S. Coast Guard is also conducting its own investigation and has already held public hearings focused on assessing the ship’s condition and reviewing cargo loading protocols and also initial responses from both crew members and local fire departments.

In light of this incident, Marine Safety Alert 09-23 was issued by the Coast Guard in November 2023. This alert emphasizes a need for better coordination among marine firefighting teams across the country.

This unfortunate event underscores notable shortcomings in maritime emergency response capabilities. As noted by Coast Guard investigators: “fires aboard vessels demand specialized resources and skills that many land-based firefighting units simply don’t have.” Language barriers between international crews and local responders can further complicate these high-pressure situations.

During its upcoming session, NTSB board members will deliberate over findings related to this case—including probable causes—and may propose safety recommendations that could influence future reports considerably.Both agencies are expected to release separate reports aimed at improving safety measures for maritime operations and first responders alike to avert similar tragedies down the line.

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