By Jo Nova

Will EV’s cause more damage to the environment?

A freighter with nearly 3,000 cars on board is burning off the Netherlands. The Coastguard is working hard to try to stop the freighter sinking in a delicate environmental area. Only 25 cars are EV’s on a burning ship of 2,857 cars. No one is sure what started the fire, but a coastguard spokesperson told Reuters “it began near an electric car”. Firefighters estimate it may burn for days. Even if it didn’t start in an EV, the EV’s on board change the nature of the battle.

The fire spread so fast sadly one crew member was killed. Seven others leapt overboard and were rescued from the ocean. The ship carried a crew of 23.

Just 25 EV’s among 3,000 cars

Mike Corder, AP

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — A fire on a freight ship carrying nearly 3,000 cars was burning out of control Wednesday in the North Sea, and the Dutch coast guard said one crew member had died, others were hurt and it was working to save the vessel from sinking close to an important habitat for migratory birds.

Its location is close to a chain of Dutch and German islands popular with tourists in the shallow Wadden Sea, a World Heritage-listed area described by UNESCO as “the largest unbroken system of intertidal sand and mud flats in the world” and “one of the most important areas for migratory birds in the world.”

CTIF News:

The Norwegian shipping company Havila Kystruten will no longer allow electric cars on board its ships, according to Norwegian Television NRK. The consequences of an electric car fire are considered too severe, states the company.

Risk analysis found lithium batteries too risky onboard. …the risk analysis found was that fires in electric cars are considered more difficult to extinguish than fires in cars powered by petrol and diesel.

Shipping transports around 90% of world trade.  Thirty years ago, around 200+ vessels were described as “total losses” each year, now it is around 40 – 60.  So safety has improved a lot, but ships are not able to deal with EV fires (what industry is?)

Allianz  on Businesswire

Potentially highly flammable lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries pose a growing risk for container shipping and car carriers.

“Most ships lack the suitable protection, detection and firefighting capabilities to tackle such fires at sea,” says [Captain Rahul Khanna, Global Head of Marine Risk Consulting at AGCS]

Fire is already one of the most frequent causes of total losses across all vessel types with 64 ships lost in the past five years alone. Meanwhile, AGCS analysis of close to 250,000 marine insurance industry claims shows that fire was also the most expensive cause of loss, accounting for 18% of the value of all claims analyzed.

h/t Colin