NEWARK, NJ – This year, Port Newark became fully aware of the dangers of shipping cars with lithium-ion batteries when a container ship caught fire and killed two firefighters.
In June of 2020, a cargo ship full of electric vehicles into Jacksonville experienced the same fate. A fire broke out on a container ship that triggered an explosion and injured nine firefighters. That fire was caused by a faulty and improperly disconnected battery on an electric vehicle inside the cargo hold.
Electric vehicles (EVs) are gaining popularity worldwide, but their battery technology is posing a new risk for maritime shippers. Industry experts, insurers, and emergency response officials have raised concerns about the potential for hard-to-control fires caused by under-prepared shippers handling EVs with lithium-ion batteries.
The recent incident of a burning car carrier drifting off the Dutch coast has drawn attention to this issue. Although the fire’s exact cause is still unknown, a recording revealed an emergency responder stating that the fire started in the battery of an electric car.
Logistics companies are accustomed to dealing with the risk of EV lithium-ion batteries igniting with twice the energy of a normal fire. However, the maritime industry has not kept pace with the advancing technology and its associated risks, leading to an increase in ship fires. In 2022, there were 209 reported ship fires, the highest in a decade, with 13 of those occurring on car carriers.
The European Maritime Safety Agency’s report highlighted lithium-ion batteries as one of the main cargo types responsible for a significant number of cargo fire accidents.
The recent car carrier incident involved 3,783 new cars on board, including 498 electric battery vehicles. As the fire extinguishing systems on ships were not designed to handle these hotter EV battery fires, the industry is now seeking solutions to improve safety measures.
Insurance costs for automakers shipping EV cargo are rising due to recent fire-related losses. To limit losses, ship owners are legally pursuing automakers whose vehicles are found to have caused a fire, prompting automakers to purchase additional liability protection.
The densely packed shipping model of roll-on/roll-off (RoRo) vessels, where cars are parked bumper-to-bumper, exacerbates the risks. Firefighters find it challenging to reach the location of a fire on a RoRo ship due to its cramped conditions, increasing the danger of getting trapped.
Unlike trains and trucks, which also transport EVs, ships present unique challenges in isolating and extinguishing fires. The International Maritime Organization is planning to evaluate new safety measures for ships transporting EVs in light of the growing number of fire incidents on cargo ships.
As EVs continue to gain popularity and become more prevalent in the global auto market, industry experts emphasize the need for tightened safety regulations to account for the additional risks posed by EVs’ battery technology.
The NTSB has confirmed five fires aboard similar ships that transport vehicles since 2015.
