THE fire aboard the 26,653-dwt Italian-flagged car and container carrier docked in Port Newark has been extinguished following days of effort and killing two firemen, reported the New York Daily News.

Authorities estimate the salvage process could last up to two months.

The blaze broke out Wednesday night on the 10th deck of the Grande Costa d'Avorio as workers finished loading hundreds of new and used vehicles destined for West Africa with a stop in Providence, Rhode Island, along the way.

It took firefighters nearly a week to contain and put out the flames, which were only further fueled by the exploding gas tanks of the cars and trucks aboard the ship.

"The deck of the ship is essentially a parking garage," Port Director Beth Rooney told ABC New York. "What we had burning were components and parts of cars."

Owners Grimaldi Group hired Gallagher Marine Systems, a specially trained group of first responders, to assist with firefighting and salvage operations.

Augusto Acabou, 45, and Wayne Brooks, 49, of the Newark Fire Department were identified as the men who were killed by the fire. Mr Acabou was a nine-year veteran of the department while Brooks had served for 16 years.