“Mike’s suffering from mild hysteria”, they said. Well, perhaps I have been, yes. The cause of my hysteria? Lithium-ion batteries and fires caused by them! There are believed to have been nearly 70 fires last year alone involving large and superyachts. As more new information on this subject comes to light on a regular basis, I simply have to come back to it time and time again and share what we know. It is a massive and worrying subject and one that is consuming the finest technical minds in the marine world right now. We all need to be aware of the phenomenon for it will not resolve any time soon. As always, I say I understand fully the need to decarbonize and embrace this technology and am not against progress. But it comes at a price and one we need to be prepared to pay. Continue reading “Are lithium-ion batteries safe on yachts – and other vessels?”
The biocide, Selektope, is being introduced into marine antifouling coatings to enhance the performance of self-polishing co-polymer (SPC) marine coatings. I-Tech’s team of R&D scientists have been working on the technology for the last five years and say they have discovered new ways in which the first-of-its-kind biocide, Selektope can be introduced to marine antifouling coatings in combination with other biocides with little or no effect on formulation chemistry or performance.
As part of this project, the two partners, The European Community Shipowners’ Association (
Emerging onboard carbon capture (OCC) technology is explored in a new publication from ABS in its latest support for the maritime energy transition. Launched at the global trade fair for Shipbuilding, Machinery and Marine Technology (SMM), Insights into Onboard Carbon Capture examines the various methods of OCC as well as carbon handling and storage and downstream considerations, as well as regulatory issues.
