THE US National Transportation Safety board has called for better training following an investigation into the deaths of two firefighters on a Grimaldi Deep Sea’s vessel in 2023.

Grande Costa D’Avorio (IMO: 9465382) was docked at Port Newark when a vehicle used by shoreside workers to push used vehicles on to the vessel caught fire on an interior garage deck.

The ship’s master ordered use of the vessel’s carbon dioxide extinguishing system, but the crew was unable to close a large rampway door because the control panel was located inside the fire protection zone, where the carbon dioxide would be released.

The report found the lack of operating controls on the outside of the door prevented the crew from safely closing the door and directly led to the ineffectiveness of the fire extinguishing system, contributing to the fire’s duration and severity.

The fire eventually spread to the vessel’s accommodation block. Two firefighters from the local fire service died while attempting to put out the fire and six emergency responders were injured during the firefighting and rescue operations.

The NTSB found that directing firefighters to enter the area where the CO2 extinguishing system had been activated, contrary to general marine firefighting convention, exposed firefighters to additional and unnecessary risk.

“The Newark Fire Division was also not adequately prepared to respond to a vessel fire and lacked marine vessel firefighting training,” the NTSB said.

Following its investigation, the NTSB has made recommendations to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration to inform field personnel of the circumstances of the Grande Costa D’Avorio casualty and provide guidance in emergency procedure requirements at marine terminals and during longshoring operations.

The NTSB also recommended that land-based firefighting departments’ marine vessel firefighting training and familiarity should be  improved.

“To ensure that shoreside personnel are aware of what to do in the event of a fire on board a vessel, the NTSB recommended that Ports America and American Maritime Services develop policies for emergencies, including accounting for all employees,” it said.

The NTSB also called on Grimaldi Deep Sea to modify vessels so that openings can be closed from outside a controlled space, and suggested class society Rina revise its procedures to ensure that fire boundary openings can be closed remotely.