On Tuesday, a cargo ship transporting 3,000 cars in the middle of the Pacific was after a huge fire broke out. Since Friday, the ship was still burning. Lievo could have been encouraged by the lithium -ion batteries of vehicles, which, of course, are difficult to extinguish as soon as they ignite.
The ship, named Morning Mid, is reported to be on a trip from Yantai, in China to Lázar Cárden, Mexico, 3000 cars. Of those vehicles, about 750 were completely electric or units of hybrids, at least partially powered by large lithium -ion batteries, which can briefly connect and ignite extremely hot fires. Although the exact reason has not yet been determined, the Mid -Mid crew reported the smoke from the deck about Tuesday at about midnight.
A spokesman for the UK ship manager from Zodiac Maritime, said The register that 22 sailors on board responded to the fire on Tuesday and tried to extinguish it using the fire extinguishing systems available. That was not enough. When Blaze became out of control, the crew reportedly announced a call of a disaster and refused the ship’s rescue boats. According to a statement issued by the US Coast Guard Service, a nearby merchant responded and saved all 22 sailors.
As far as the morning is concerned, it remains on the surface and burns in the middle of the Pacific, about 304 miles south of Adak in Alaska. It is unclear who produces whether the car models were on board or whether any of them will be restored.
In his message sent Popular Science, Zodiac Maritime said it was decided to determine the priority for the security crew and abandon the ship due to the fire intensity. Zodiac appointed Resolve Marine rescue company to respond to a fire. A separate team of rescue specialists is expected to arrive at the scene by June 9. Zodiac says she continues to monitor the status of Midas through the satellite connected systems of herboard satellite.
“When the part of our answer is completed, our crews work closely with the ship’s manager Zodiac Maritime to determine the disposal of the ship,” said posterior admiral Megan Dean, the seventeenth district commander of the US Coast Guard Service. “We are grateful for the selfless three nearby vessels that helped to respond to the motor ship Cosco Hell, who helped save 22 lives.”
Related: [Electric vehicle fires are rare, but challenging to extinguish]
Why the EV battery fires are so difficult to betray
You may have seen firefighters trying to release Teslas and other big EVs. Although EV is statistically less likely to ignite than a vehicle with internal combustion engines, the fires that cause are much harder to extinguish. This is due to the phenomenon known as Thermal Runaway. Large lithium -ion batteries, which power EVs can briefly connect, causing a chain reaction that eventually causes inflammation.
Thermal running can occur in days or even weeks. But when caught fire, these fires burn much hotter than those caused by traditional internal combustion engines. They can also reign after extinguishing, so they are particularly complex for firefighters.
Tesla electric cars are burning in a moving truck trailer after one of them is on fire for unknown reasons in Istanbul, Turkey. Image: Muhammed Gencebay Gour/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images Anadolu
Cargo ships are a great breeding site for potentially dangerous fires. They are often tightly packed with vehicles and have limited ventilation, which means that a fire in one vehicle can spread quickly to others. And while ships usually have some fire extinguishing systems, these measures may not be enough when the flame spreads in several vehicles.
2022 A cargo ship transporting 4,000 vehicles on fire in the Atlantic ocean and eventually drowned. Just a year later, another ship transporting about 3,000 vehicles caught fire off the Dutch coast. This event killed one person and injured a few others.
EV battery becomes safer
Car manufacturers and battery suppliers try to improve durability and reduce the risk of lithium ion fires. Only this week, Located in Texas, the main supplier of intermediate gaskets used by the batteries, has announced the production of new types of AirGel insulation, according to them, can protect EV batteries from thermal running. Other companies have improved tracking systems to maintain battery health tabs and more intelligent charging protocols that prevent damage to excessive charge.
However, even for such enhancements, new EVs are sent to meet the growing global demand, and fires on ships or streets are unlikely to disappear at any time.