On board Lithium-ion batteries a special fire protection problem. According to the assessment of the German Insurance Association (GDV) Conventional ship fire extinguishing systems cannot reliably fight lithium-ion battery fires. This affects both car carriers and other ships carrying electric vehicles or devices with lithium batteries.
Traditional fire extinguishing systems on ships, especially CO₂ or foam extinguishing systems, are designed for classic fire progressions. In the event of a fire involving lithium-ion batteries, the cells produce oxygen during the fire, which means that extinguishing the fire by suffocation – for example, with CO₂ – does not work. The consequence is that such fires cannot be extinguished with the usual means on board cannot be effectively deleted.
GDV expert and captain Uwe-Peter Schieder makes it clear that even small quantities of lithium-ion batteries, such as those found in mobile devices or electric vehicles, pose a serious risk because they are present everywhere on modern ships.
As potential technical approaches for improving safety, systems such as high-pressure water mist are proposed, which can controllably cool fires without endangering ship stability. The GDV is committed to the fundamental advancement of fire detection and extinguishing technology in maritime shipping.
