The shipping of lithium batteries is once more the topic of debate, after electric cars are understood to have caused last month’s ship fire that led to one crew member tragically losing his life.
Of the 3,800 vehicles aboard the ro-ro vessel ‘Fremantle Highway’, it is now understood that around 500 of them were electric cars, despite initial reports suggesting there were only 25.
The fire continued to rage in the North Sea for a week, before the vessel was eventually towed to the port of Eemshaven in the Netherlands. The ship, insured for $70-80m, may now be scrapped, although no final decision has been made.
The International Union of Marine Insurers (IUMI) is calling for further investigation into the shipping of electric vehicles, which are generally powered by Lithium Batteries. These battery types can explode or ignite and are considered dangerous goods.
Ship fires have been increasing in frequency over the past few years, with many attributed to dangerous goods. Last month we reported on another car carrier catching fire in the Port of Newark, which resulted in the loss of life for two New Jersey firefighters.
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