The incident happened around 9:30 a.m. at the Bayonne Dry Dock.
Fire officials say upon arriving they found a 25-year-old male worker, employed by a painting contractor, who fell approximately 35 feet down into a confined space in the forward bow section of the USNS Red Cloud.
Firefighters set up for a technical rescue and descended into the hold, where the worker was found unresponsive. He was pronounced deceased at the scene.
The operation is ongoing and the cause of this incident is under investigation by the Port Authority Police.
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