As the number of electric vehicles (EVs) shipped worldwide continues to rise, so does the need for robust fire safety measures at sea. IUMI earlier release this best practice paper in 2023 and now it has been revised for the safe ocean and short-sea carriage of EVs — addressing evolving research, firefighting strategies and ship design challenges.
Several parts of the paper have been updated and new content added, for instance, risks related to potential gas accumulation; information on total energy release and peak temperatures; challenges with PCTC ship design; the “Fixed First” approach for PCTCs; and limitations of foam-based extinguishing systems.
A list of key points has been added at the end which summarizes the main findings in one page.
Key updates include:
Managing thermal runaway and potentially explosive gases
Comparing fire intensity between EVs and ICEVs
Tackling PCTC design vulnerabilities
Prioritising early detection & “fixed first” firefighting
Rethinking foam-based suppression systems