https://www.zerohedge.com/mark...ing-ship-dutch-coast

The massive roll-on, roll-off ship ablaze off the Dutch coast is transporting 500 electric vehicles. The ship's total cargo is around 3,800 vehicles, some of which are BMWs and Mercedes.

Shipping blog TradeWinds reported Japan's K Line is the operator of "Fremantle Highway." According to K Line's figures, there are 3,783 vehicles, of which 489 are EVs. Earlier estimates had the number of EVs at 25.

"The figure is far higher than first estimated and appears to raise the likelihood that a lithium-ion battery in an EV either caused the blaze in the 6,210-ceu Fremantle Highway (built 2013) or added to its severity," TradeWinds said.

Reuters pointed out that the Dutch coastguard said the fire's origin is unknown, but Dutch broadcaster RTL said emergency responders were heard saying, "The fire started in the battery of an electric car."

The fire broke out late Tuesday night on board the vessel. Coastguard officials said the fire "could still burn for days." The latest known position of the ship was off the northern Dutch coast on Wednesday.

Nathan Habers, spokesperson for the Royal Association of Netherlands Shipowners, told Reuters, "When transporting electric cars powered by batteries - which when they catch fire can't be extinguished with water, or even by oxygen deprivation."

One significant risk for lithium-ion batteries is "thermal runaway" during a fire that is hard to extinguish and can spontaneously reignite. Yet another risk emerges as governments set decarbonization targets for the transportation sector.

Transport companies are going to have to invest in fire fighting tech for EV's, while the risk of having a fire isn't super high, having one can be difficult if not impossible to control and endanger an entire vessel, be it a ship, truck, train or ferry.

It doesn't have to be transporting new vehicles for sale, EV's that people drive around expose everyone to serious danger on a ferry crossing the channel or a lake if the crew doesn't have proper fire training and equipment for an EV fire.

Your signature line is particularly appropriate, OP.

Saltwater + lithium batteries = this happening again and again and again.

They’re going to end up having to seal these cars up tight for transport across the SALT WATER ocean which will add even more to their cost.

2nd one in just over a year? I wonder if the underwriters at Lloyds of London are having 2nd thoughts about writing insurance on these ships. Getting almost as risky as oil tankers thru the Straights of Hormuz

Burning cargo ship carrying thousands of sports cars adrift in Atlantic Ocean

I think the insurance companies are going to start having a real problem with the transporting at the very least. These ships are not cheap. You know the fires are bad when people are jumping off the ship into the open ocean

As far as fire suppression I haven’t seen much that is very affective so I’m not sure what can be done. I saw a fire suppression exercise that used some type of big blanket that went over the entire car and smother the fire by taking all the oxygen so maybe there are some options.

quote:

Originally posted by PASig:
Saltwater + lithium batteries = this happening again and again and again.

They’re going to end up having to seal these cars up tight for transport across the SALT WATER ocean which will add even more to their cost.

Will EV owners who live on the coast need to be concerned with this?

I bet those fires are carcinogenic as hell. And they probably release a cloud of greenhouse gases the size of Nebraska. They need to take each fire incident, pre and post sale, into account for rating the per unit 'carbon footprint' of these abominations.

quote:

Originally posted by HRK:
Transport companies are going to have to invest in fire fighting tech for EV's, while the risk of having a fire isn't super high, having one can be difficult if not impossible to control and endanger an entire vessel, be it a ship, truck, train or ferry.

It doesn't have to be transporting new vehicles for sale, EV's that people drive around expose everyone to serious danger on a ferry crossing the channel or a lake if the crew doesn't have proper fire training and equipment for an EV fire.

Didn't think about that. Oops. good point.

That will be great for the environment when they dump those overboard. The burning batteries will burn for who knows how long poisoning all the sea life in a huge area there. brilliant fuckers

quote:

Originally posted by 1s1k:
I think the insurance companies are going to start having a real problem with the transporting at the very least. These ships are not cheap. You know the fires are bad when people are jumping off the ship into the open ocean

As far as fire suppression I haven’t seen much that is very affective so I’m not sure what can be done. I saw a fire suppression exercise that used some type of big blanket that went over the entire car and smother the fire by taking all the oxygen so maybe there are some options.

I doubt there are any realistic options except paying extra for the new risks transporting EVs. Just like everything else these days, replacing good stuff with bad stuff by rogues, criminals, and other America haters.

Runaway 500 EV meltdown on cargo ship. AKA The Dutch Oven

It's a good start.

I'd hate to be a crew member on one of these car carriers. On pretty much any ship, our biggest fear is a fire onboard. We're aware of it and train to fight fires regularly. We know if we act quickly enough and professionally, we have a real good chance of putting out any fire and saving the ship.

But an EV fire? How do you train and deal with that? You're fucked. That'd be a terrible thing to have in the back of your mind as you're crossing the ocean.

quote:

Originally posted by Balzé Halzé:
…a fire onboard.

Same fear for my job. There are rules for checked baggage, but who knows if those rules aren’t broken by stupid, incompetent morons.

Maybe the insurance companies may be our friends for once. Refusing coverage on the ships that carry these time bombs in disguise will be the first step, then auto insurance companies refusing to cover them here on the roads. It could be a death knell for the fire traps on wheels.

Only 500 EV's? Well, I guess it is at least a start.

RMD

quote:

Originally posted by erj_pilot:

quote:

Originally posted by Balzé Halzé:
…a fire onboard.

Same fear for my job. There are rules for checked baggage, but who knows if those rules aren’t broken by stupid, incompetent morons.

To be fair, your industry is at least partially to blame. NOT poking at you, I know you have to abide by rules. But airlines in general, when they started charging for checked bags created the problem of people trying to carry everything on. When they can't, bags get checked at the gate because overhead space runs out, and "forbidden" items (lithium batteries, etc.) go along with them.

And, of course, as you pointed out, there are a fair share of incompetent morons too.

quote:

Originally posted by erj_pilot:
Same fear for my job. There are rules for checked baggage, but who knows if those rules aren’t broken by stupid, incompetent morons.

I think about that every time I fly. I always travel with a laptop and it's always under the seat in front of me. It's a bit unnerving thinking about laptops or e-cigs in checked baggage

It isn't known at this point whether the fire originated with one or more EVs, but it certainly exacerbated it.

How does one put out such a fire? It would have to be deprived of air, since you can't use water on an electrical, let alone alkali metal that reacts with water, fire. That would mean foam or some method of evacuating or displacing the air. And now firefighting foam causes cancer …