The National Transportation Safety Board will hold a public board meeting April 15 to determine the probable cause of the 2023 fire aboard the roll-on/roll-off container vessel Grande Costa D’Avorio that claimed the lives of two firefighters in Newark, N.J.
During the 9:30 a.m. meeting at the NTSB’s Washington, D.C. conference center, the board “will vote on the findings, probable cause and safety recommendations as well as any changes to the draft final report,” according to an advisory the agency issued Tuesday. It’s planned to carry the proceeding that day on a live webcast of the meeting.
On July 5, 2023, the 692’x118’ Grande Costa d’Avorio was docked at Port Newark with shoreside workers loading new and used cars onto an interior deck of the vessel. with new and used cars. Around 9:30 p.m. a “pusher” vehicle used in the loading caught fire.
The blaze grew out of control, and as fire crews tried to fight in the smoke-filed garage decks veteran Newark Fire Department captains Augusto ‘Augie’ Acabou, 45, and Wayne ‘Bear’ Brooks Jr., 49, died trapped amid burning vehicles.
Early findings from the investigation led the Coast Guard to issue a Nov. 20 marine safety alert, noting that city firefighters at Port Newark “had little to no maritime firefighting training, experience, or familiarization with cargo ships of any type. Unfortunately, this is only one of several vessel fires occurring within the last five years where the lack of familiarity with commercial vessels and inexperience with shipboard firefighting techniques unduly endangered the safety of responding personnel.”
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