Cargo Ship Crew Rescued After Vessel Carrying Hundreds Of Electric Vehicles Catches Fire

Go to Article

A cargo ship carrying 3,000 vehicles, including 800 electric vehicles, caught fire near Alaska.

The crew had to abandon the ship after they could not control the fire on the vessel.

22 crew members were rescued off Alaska’s Aleutian island chain.

From the Associated Press:

Crew members abandoned ship, were evacuated onto a lifeboat and rescued by the crew of a nearby merchant vessel called the Cosco Hellas in the North Pacific, roughly 300 miles (490 kilometers) southwest of Adak Island. Adak is about 1,200 miles (1,930 kilometers) west of Anchorage, the state’s largest city.

The crew initiated emergency firefighting procedures with the ship’s onboard fire suppression system. But they were unable bring the flames under control.

“The relevant authorities have been notified, and we are working closely with emergency responders with a tug being deployed to support salvage and firefighting operations,” Zodiac Maritime said in a statement. “Our priorities are to ensure the continued safety of the crew and protect the marine environment.”

There’s speculation a lithium-ion battery in an electric vehicle sparked the out-of-control blaze.

The Register reports:

Everyone knows firefighters use water to douse fires, and that the liquid surrounds ships at. So why was this fire so hard to stop?

Because water and electricity don’t mix, and salt water is an even better conductor than fresh water. When salt water covers a lithium battery, it can cause a short circuit that causes the battery cells to overheat in a sequence of rapid reactions, a process called thermal runaway that can cause the entire battery to burn.

Thermal runaway can happen days after immersion, thanks to minerals left over as the battery dries out, and even if the battery is completely discharged.

Battery fires are also notoriously difficult to extinguish after they’ve started, and tend to burn hotter and faster than other blazes. Sometimes they reignite after firefighters put them out. One fire marshal told CNBC in 2022 about a Tesla that burned so hot, it melted part of the road.

Firefighters in areas hit by hurricanes and flooding have some experience dealing with battery fires.

As Hurricane Milton approached Florida last fall, Florida State Fire Marshal Jimmy Patronis warned electric cars and other battery-powered kit ” are ticking time bombs.”

“In the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, we have seen nearly 50 fires caused by lithium-ion batteries with 11 of those fires being caused by EVs.”



Comment on this Article Via Your Disqus Account