The car carrier Fremantle Highway is afire off the Dutch Coast. The source of the fire?
The Dutch coastguard said on its website on Thursday that the cause of the fire was unknown, but an emergency responder is heard in a recording released by Dutch broadcaster RTL saying, “The fire started in the battery of an electric car”.
EV lithium-ion batteries burn with twice the energy of a normal fire, and maritime officials and insurers say the industry has not kept up with the risks.
An investigation has been launched by the Panama Maritime Authority and the Netherlands is assisting the inquiry, the Dutch Safety Board has said. [gCaptain]
This is not an existential danger to the industry; it’s a problem that needs to be addressed by safety engineers, or by batteries not using easily ignited materials.
