Why It Matters

Gaps in coordination, training, information sharing, and legal authority remain in the U.S. Coast Guard's marine firefighting efforts, according to a recent U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) report published Sept. 29.

Between 2015 and 2025, the Coast Guard recorded 886 nearshore marine fires, and about 206 of those incidents resulted in death, injury, more than $200,000 in damage, or a total loss of the vessel. Vessels may carry hazardous cargo, such as lithium-ion batteries, which can further complicate marine firefighting responses. The findings come as the number of vessels using alternative fuels continues to grow, while legal limitations prevent the Coast Guard from requiring non-tank vessels that use alternative fuels to have vessel response plans related to hazardous substance discharges.

The Coast Guard is the principal federal agency responsible for overseeing marine safety, but it generally coordinates with land-based fire departments to extinguish vessel fires. Gaps in marine firefighting coordination remain, GAO found, even after the Coast Guard established a task force following a 2023 marine vessel fire that killed two firefighters.

The Big Picture

The task force has taken several steps to address marine firefighting challenges, but GAO identified persistent gaps in coordination, training, information sharing, and activating vessel response plans. The Coast Guard does not consistently designate specific field personnel to lead pre-fire coordination with local port officials and fire departments. Training for land-based firefighters is also limited, with the lack of hands-on exercises aboard vessels cited as an example. The report found that structured opportunities for fire departments to tour vessels and participate in shipboard exercises would help ensure firefighters have the knowledge and skills needed to safely and effectively extinguish vessel fires. The report recommends that the Coast Guard establish a mechanism to store and share marine firefighting information, including best practices, with Coast Guard officials and maritime stakeholders.

A separate and legally rooted problem involves the growing fleet of vessels powered by alternative fuels. Existing legal limitations prevent the Coast Guard from requiring non-tank vessels that use alternative fuels, such as ferries powered by lithium-ion batteries, to prepare vessel response plans related to hazardous substance discharges. Those legal limitations predate the widespread adoption of alternative fuels, and GAO has asked Congress to consider amending existing law to address them. Specifically, GAO called on Congress to consider amending the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to require owners and operators of non-tank vessels using alternative fuels to prepare vessel response plans for worst-case hazardous substance discharges and the substantial threat of such discharges. Without that statutory change, the Coast Guard lacks the authority to require those plans for such vessels.

Broader Context

The National Defense Authorization Act mandated the report and directed GAO to review the Coast Guard's marine firefighting efforts. To conduct the review, GAO analyzed Coast Guard data covering 2015 through 2025, reviewed Coast Guard guidance and investigative reports, and interviewed Coast Guard officials, fire chiefs based in seven Coast Guard sectors, and representatives from maritime and firefighting stakeholder associations.

GAO made five recommendations to the Coast Guard, and the agency agreed with all five. All five recommendations are still open, meaning GAO has not yet confirmed actions that satisfy them.

GAO recommended that the Coast Guard's commandant designate marine firefighting coordination responsibilities to specific field unit positions in coordination with Captains of the Port; ensure Captains of the Port or their designees engage with fire departments and maritime stakeholders to coordinate shipboard training opportunities, including vessel tours and exercises; establish a mechanism to store and share marine firefighting information such as best practices; develop and distribute guidance on factors to consider when determining whether vessel response plans should be activated for marine fires; and issue regulations under the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 requiring owners and operators of tank vessels to prepare vessel response plans for responding to worst-case discharges of hazardous substances and the substantial threat of such discharges.

The Bottom Line

The congressional matter, amending the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to cover non-tank vessels using alternative fuels, is also listed as open. GAO's five recommendations and separate matter for congressional consideration leave both the Coast Guard and Congress with potential actions to address the gaps identified in the report.

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