Coast Guard: Additional Action Needed to Address Marine Firefighting Challenges

Coast Guard data cited by GAO show 886 nearshore marine fires between 2015 and 2025, with about a quarter resulting in death, injury, damage exceeding $200,000, or total loss of the vessel. The Coast Guard coordinates marine firefighting responses while land-based departments do the actual firefighting, a task force having been formed after a 2023 fire killed two firefighters.

GAO found the task force made progress but gaps remain: the Coast Guard lacks consistent field personnel dedicated to coordinating with local fire departments before fires occur, hands-on vessel training for land-based firefighters is limited, and there's no established system for sharing marine firefighting information across the agency.

GAO also flagged a legal gap letting the Coast Guard require oil-discharge response plans for certain vessels but not similar plans for nontank vessels using alternative fuels, such as lithium-ion battery ferries, and recommended Congress consider amending the law. The Coast Guard agreed with all five of GAO's recommendations.

The full dispatch is available from the source below.