Firefighters and other responders had been working to suppress the fire since Wednesday night, pumping water from Newark Bay onto the towering ship and its load of 1,200 vehicles.
The persistence of the fire led to speculation that some of the cars on board were electric vehicles with lithium ion batteries.
But Beth Rooney, the port director, said that the ship’s manifest indicated that there were no electric vehicles on it.
She said that the ship had carried new electric vehicles to Baltimore before arriving in Newark, where it took on a load of “previously owned vehicles” bound for West Africa.
Two Newark firefighters, Augusto Acabou, 45, and Wayne Brooks Jr., 49, died trying to knock the blaze down.
Persons:
Beth Rooney, Rooney, Augusto Acabou, Wayne Brooks Jr
Organizations:
Newark
Locations:
Newark Bay, Baltimore, Newark, West Africa, Providence, R.I