What Happened?

A federal watchdog found that the U.S. Coast Guard has persistent gaps in coordination, training, information sharing, and legal authority in its marine firefighting efforts, and generally relies on land-based fire departments to help extinguish vessel fires.

Between 2015 and 2025, the Coast Guard recorded 886 nearshore marine fires, according to a report published Sept. 29. About 206 of those incidents ended in death, injury, more than $200,000 in damage, or a total loss of the vessel.

Why Does it Matter to Me?

When a vessel catches fire, the Coast Guard generally coordinates with land-based fire departments to respond. The report found that training for those firefighters is limited, with a lack of hands-on exercises aboard vessels cited as a gap.

More vessels now run on alternative fuels, including ferries powered by lithium-ion batteries, and the report found that lithium-ion batteries carried as hazardous cargo can complicate marine firefighting responses. A 2023 vessel fire killed two firefighters, and the Coast Guard formed a task force in response, but the report found the gaps remain.

If you live near a port, a marina, or a waterway with regular ferry traffic, the firefighters who would respond to a vessel fire in your community are likely the same crew that handles house fires and car crashes. The report found they are often doing that job without the ship-specific training or coordination agreements that would help them do it safely.

Both Sides, Now

The report made five recommendations to the Coast Guard, and the agency agreed with all five.

The recommendations call on the Coast Guard to:

  • Assign specific field personnel to lead coordination with local port officials and fire departments before a fire occurs
  • Coordinate shipboard training opportunities for fire departments, including vessel tours and exercises.
  • Build a system to store and share marine firefighting best practices across the Coast Guard and maritime partners
  • Issue guidance on when vessel response plans should be activated during a fire
  • Issue rules requiring tank vessel owners to prepare response plans for worst-case hazardous substance discharges

A separate legal problem sits with Congress. Current law prevents the Coast Guard from requiring non-tank vessels using alternative fuels to prepare response plans for hazardous substance discharges. The report asked Congress to consider amending the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to close that gap.

The National Defense Authorization Act directed the report to conduct this review in the first place. That means Congress already flagged marine firefighting as a concern worth examining, even as the legal fix it may now need to provide remains unscheduled.

What Happens Next?

The Coast Guard agreed with all five recommendations.

Congress would need to amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act before the Coast Guard gains authority to require owners and operators of non-tank vessels using alternative fuels to prepare hazardous substance response plans.

Until Congress acts and the Coast Guard closes out all five recommendations, local fire departments along U.S. coastlines and waterways will continue responding to vessel fires under the same conditions the GAO flagged as inadequate.

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