The Maritime Technologies Forum (MTF) has published a report on the safe carriage of electric vehicles.
"With the increasing number of EVs being transported and safety concerns regarding onboard EV fires, the industry needs to be better prepared to detect, prevent and react to fires on board," the MTF says in a statement.
"Currently, there are no international regulations specifically dedicated to the safe carriage of EVs. While some national and regional governmental organisations have issued their own guidelines, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) is still in the process of developing mandatory regulations for the transportation of new energy vehicles, including EVs, with a target completion year of 2027."
The MTF takes a deep dive into the characteristics of EV fires and offers a series of safety recommendations, including early detection, prevention of fire spread, firefighting, evacuation, training and drills.
The report addresses a number of safety measures and strategies to keep crews and cargoes safe:
- Early detection of heated EV batteries by making use of the vehicle’s battery management system to send alerts to the ship’s systems;
- Preventing explosions, addressing the release of flammable gases during thermal runaway of batteries and the need for explosion-proof electrical equipment on the upper deck;
- Provision for fire protection and the prevention of fire spread, and the need for enhanced structural fire protection to ensure safe evacuation of the crew.
The report also addresses the firefighting equipment that is best suited at different stages of a fire, crew safety during firefighting and the need for a strengthened safety management system, which includes training and drills.
“Our goal with this report is to provide the industry with the necessary information to develop effective regulations and safety measures,” said Lars Lippuner, director of UK customer maritime services at the UK Maritime and Coastguard Agency.
