Hearings Begin into Fatal New Jersey Cargo Ship Fire

Investigation seeks to prevent future incidents, not to assign blame.

Federal investigators will begin several days of hearings into a dockside cargo ship fire that killed two New Jersey firefighters last summer at one of the busiest U.S. seaports.
The Coast Guard and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the cause of the blaze in which the Italian-owned Grande Costa d’Avorio caught fire in Port Newark.
A preliminary investigation indicated that the Newark Fire Department had little to no maritime firefighting training, experience or familiarization with cargo ships of any type.
The families of the dead firefighters claim a malfunctioning vehicle being used to load cargo onto the ship caused the fire and announced plans to sue The Grimaldi Group, the Italian company that owns the ship, as well as two stevedore companies involved in loading the vessel.
The inquiry will not seek to affix blame to anyone, but will instead issue safety recommendations beyond those included in a Nov. 20 alert, which recommended that local fire departments and ports establish regular shipboard firefighting education and training.