The Maritime Technologies Forum (MTF) has published a report titled “Safe Carriage of Electric Vehicles” addressing the critical issue of transporting electric vehicles (EVs) on Pure Car and Truck Carrier (PCTC) vessels.
Currently, there are no international regulations specifically dedicated to the safe carriage of electric vehicles. While some national and regional governmental organizations have issued their own guidelines, the 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.
“This report is a significant step toward safer transportation of electric vehicles. 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, UK Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA).
The Maritime Technologies Forum (MTF) is a group of flag States and classification societies which aims to bridge the gap between technological progress and regulatory process.
According to the report, crews need to become familiar with electric vehicles and be well-trained to ensure safe transportation of these vehicles. In addition, providing effective information on safe carriage of EVs would be beneficial to stakeholders who are now investigating and considering the additional measures.
Key highlights of the report:
Early Detection: The importance of detecting heated EV batteries (EVBs) early, potentially through a Battery Management System (BMS) on each vehicle that can release alarms and send alerts to the ship’s systems.
Prevention of Explosion: Addressing the release of flammable gases during thermal runaway and the need for explosion-proof electrical equipment on the upper deck.
Fire Protection and Prevention of Fire Spread: Emphasizing the isolation of fires, cooling of EVs, and the need for enhanced structural fire protection to ensure safe evacuation of the crew.
Manual Firefighting: Portable firefighting equipment should be deployed in the early stages of a fire and removing excess water during operations will be important to maintain vessel stability.
Fixed Firefighting Systems: The comparative review of the characteristics of fixed fire extinguishing systems in vehicle space, as required by SOLAS II-2/Reg.20, was made in an impartial manner, as they each have various advantages and disadvantages.
Safety of Crew During Firefighting: Highlighting the importance of understanding fire characteristics and car deck obstructions to proceed with manual firefighting and ensure crew safety during firefighting operations.
Safety Management System – Training and Drill: The Safety Management System (SMS) for PCTCs carrying EVs should be strengthened to address characteristics of EVs and EV fires.
Detection Vehicles, whether conventional vehicles or EVs, are carried tightly in vehicle spaces of PCTCs, which could lead to fast fire spread to adjacent vehicles. Such a fire would be uncontrollable and existing fixed fire-extinguishing systems would probably not be effective, putting the lives of the crew at severe risk, and risking both the cargo and the vessel.
Therefore, early detection is a key to ensure that fires do not develop to an extent where the fixed firefighting systems are no longer effective and to initiate any firefighting such as isolation, cooling, and fire suppression, before thermal runaway of EVBs occurs and a major fire develops. If thermal runaway occurs, the key objective should be the prevention of fire spread to adjacent vehicles.
Through the discussion about early detection, the following measures with general comments were identified.
- Closed-Circuit Television (CCTV) with Artificial Intelligence (AI) or Video Analytics Function
- Infrared (IR) Cameras
- Gas Detection System
- Additional Detectors
- Alert from EV Itself
Safety of Crew During Firefighting
In general, manual firefighting is important to extinguish fires at an early stage and prevent the fire spread but should only be used in case of a possible effective fire response or prevention. It is important to understand the characteristics of fire and the kind of ship to proceed with manual firefighting and ensure the safety of the crew during the firefighting. If the situation or operational aspect allows manual firefighting, the crew should be safe during firefighting. There are the following characteristics of EV fire and PCTCs to be considered during manual firefighting by crews.
The tight spacing of vehicles during full loading may restrict the crew from locating a fire, accessing its seat, and preventing access to equipment for firefighting. Lashing belts prevent the crew from approaching the vehicle, leading to injuries. Furthermore, the effects of smoke typically create situations where visibility is poor. It is important to ensure firefighter safety and make it as easy as possible for them to identify the source of fire. The nominal air-change rate of the ventilation system is important, but this also brings in a high volume of oxygen sustaining the fire.
Lighting may not be available or sufficient. Usage time for the self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) provided to firefighters needs to be considered due to the amount of time typically required for EVB cooling operations. The onboard usage time of such SCBA generally tends to be limited to between 20 and 30 minutes.
EVBs during thermal runaway emit toxic HF gas that is harmful to the crew. Immediately Dangerous to Life or Health (IDLH) of HF gas is 30ppm, as provided by NIOSH. Then, at the early stage of a fire, ship’s crews may fight the fire with portable fire extinguishers without wearing proper firefighting personal protective equipment (PPE)/SCBA. As a result, there are chances for the ship’s crew to inhale the toxic gases. On the other hand, it should be noted that HF is highly reactive, and its concentration will reduce very fast.
Crews’ physical and mental states should be considered to ensure crew safety during firefighting. It should be noted some crew may panic whilst firefighting.
Safety Management System Training and Drills
Proper training should be conducted, and procedures/guidance manuals should be available on board to assist the crew in taking appropriate actions in case of a fire. It is also important to establish firefighting plans and implement daily fire drills for effective firefighting operations expected to take long periods of time.
Everything on board the vessel is bound by the company safety management system. The training and drills could be linked to ISM code Element 8 (emergency preparedness).
“By addressing the unique challenges posed by EV fires, we aim to enhance the safety of maritime operations and protect crews, ships and cargoes. This report serves as a starting point for the development of safe carriage practices for EVs and aims to provide valuable information to regulators and industry stakeholders for further development,” said Hiroaki Sakashita, President & CEO, ClassNK.
Download the report: MTF safe carriage of electric vehicles
