, the firefighting equipment installed on many ships just isn’t up to the task of an EV fire. Not only can lithium-ion battery fires burn with twice the energy of a normal fire, but they can also experience thermal runaway.
An EV fire on land is a far less complicated exercise. In the case of an isolated fire, firefighters are able to dig pits of water and dump burning cars into them. In the case of train transport, rail cars can be isolated, and on the road, trucks can pull over. But ship fires are far trickier for firefighters to access in the correct PPE and with the right equipment. The difficulty is compounded by the tightly-packed confines of most roll-on/roll-off auto carriers.
In the short term, insurance costs for automakers and vessel owners are likely to rise. In the long time, the International Maritime Organization is set to evaluate new measures for ships transporting EVs. Some options being discussed to mitigate risk include new chemicals to douse flames, specialized EV fire blankets, battery-piercing fire hose nozzles, and proposals to segregate EVs. Until then, the risk of transporting EVs via sea will continue to trouble seafarers.