A federal investigation revealed that a July 2023 cargo ship fire at Port Newark was ignited by a modified Jeep, resulting in the deaths of two firefighters. The Jeep, retrofitted for industrial use, overheated, causing its transmission fluid to ignite. The investigation criticized Ports America for this misuse and cited insufficient training for the Newark Fire Division as a contributing factor to the ineffective response. Additionally, the ship lacked essential safety features. The fire caused more than $23 million in damages and burned for five days.
The National Transportation Safety Board identified the 'probable cause' of July 2023 fire as Ports America's use of a retrofitted passenger vehicle in an industrial setting.
The fire broke out as crew members were loading vehicles onto the vessel, and quickly spread, with firefighters unaware of the dangers posed by smoke and unsafe equipment.
NTSB cited the Newark Fire Division's lack of marine vessel firefighting training as a fault, noting their response was ineffective and contributed to the fatalities.
The fire ultimately burned for five days causing significant damage estimated at over $23 million, highlighting critical safety oversight in vessel operations.
Collection
[
|
...
]