Lithium-ion Batteries Called Ticking Time Bombs

Inferno at Sea: The Ticking Time Bomb Inside Electric Car Carriers

An inferno consumed the Morning Midas, a vast cargo ship adrift off the coast of Alaska. The vessel carried thousands of vehicles, including a significant number of electric cars. This incident is not isolated. It represents the latest in a string of catastrophic fires on car carriers, highlighting a dangerous new risk in global shipping. The finger of suspicion points towards the lithium-ion power cells used in electric vehicles. These batteries, celebrated for their role in a greener future, present a volatile and often uncontrollable fire hazard at sea. The maritime industry now confronts a critical challenge. It must urgently adapt to safely transport this growing, but potentially explosive, cargo across the world’s oceans.

An Emergency in the North Pacific

The drama began on a Tuesday afternoon. The vessel named Morning Midas was navigating the remote waters of the North Pacific, approximately 300 miles south of Adak Island in the Aleutian chain. Suddenly, smoke started billowing from the vessel. Its team of 22 crew members activated the ship's emergency protocols. They deployed the onboard fire suppression systems to fight the blaze. The crew followed all procedures correctly. However, the fire grew with an intensity that overwhelmed their efforts. The captain made the critical decision to abandon the vessel to ensure the safety of the crew. This choice underscored the severity of the situation they faced.

A Swift and Fortunate Rescue

The crew members boarded a lifeboat, escaping the smoke-filled ship. Watchstanders received an emergency signal at approximately 3:15 p.m. and immediately broadcast an urgent message, calling on any vessels in the vicinity to provide assistance. Three commercial ships, described as good Samaritans, altered their course to respond. The container ship Cosco Hellas reached the lifeboat first. It successfully rescued the entire team of 22 from the ocean. No injuries were reported among the rescued personnel, a fortunate outcome in a highly dangerous situation. The crew remained aboard the Cosco Hellas as it continued to its next port of call.

The Coast Guard's Cautious Approach

The United States Coast Guard initiated a significant response operation. It diverted its own cutter, the Munro, to the scene. It also launched a C-130J Super Hercules aircraft from Kodiak to assess the situation from the air. An MH-60T Jayhawk helicopter was also positioned in nearby Adak. Aerial surveillance confirmed the Morning Midas was still ablaze, with smoke continuing to emanate from its structure. Officials decided to let the fire burn out while observing from a secure location. This approach stemmed from the high risk of explosion posed by the hundreds of electric and hybrid vehicle batteries on board. Approaching the vessel to fight the fire directly was deemed too perilous for rescue crews.

A Challenging Salvage Operation

With the crew safe, attention turned to the stricken vessel and its cargo. The ship remained afloat, but the full extent of the damage was unknown. The ship's managers appointed the specialist company Resolve Marine to lead the salvage operation. The remote location of the incident, far from major ports, presented immense logistical challenges. A tugboat carrying salvage experts and specialised firefighting equipment was dispatched. The salvage crew was not expected to reach the location of the Morning Midas until Monday, nearly a week after the fire began. An additional tug with ocean towage capability was also arranged to support the effort. Meanwhile, the ship was monitored via satellite, though remote assessment of its condition was limited.

Image Credit - Economic Times Auto

The Volatile Cargo Within

The vessel, Morning Midas, was on a journey from China to Mexico. It had departed from the Yantai port on the 26th of May. Its cargo consisted of 3,048 vehicles. This load included 70 fully electric models along with 681 partial hybrid electric vehicles. This detail is crucial. The presence of these vehicles, powered by large lithium-ion battery packs, transforms a standard ship fire into a much more complex and dangerous event. The vessel was also carrying approximately 350 metric tons of gas fuel and 1,530 metric tons of very low sulphur fuel oil. This combination of flammable fuels and potentially explosive batteries created a recipe for disaster.

The Science of a Battery Fire

Lithium-ion batteries pose fire risks unlike those from conventional sources. The primary danger is a phenomenon known as thermal runaway. This is a violent chain reaction that is incredibly difficult to stop once it starts. It can be triggered by a manufacturing defect, physical damage, or overheating. A single faulty cell heats up uncontrollably, triggering adjacent cells in a domino effect. This process can generate extreme temperatures in milliseconds. Crucially, the chemical reaction produces its own oxygen, which means conventional methods of starving a fire of oxygen are ineffective. This makes extinguishing a lithium-ion battery fire almost impossible with standard shipboard systems.

A Toxic and Explosive Threat

The hazards associated with thermal runaway extend beyond the intense heat. The process releases vast quantities of toxic and flammable vapour. These gases can include substances like hydrogen fluoride, which poses a severe health risk to anyone exposed. In the confined spaces of a ship’s cargo hold, these flammable vapours can accumulate and create an explosive atmosphere. This risk of explosion makes any attempt at manual firefighting exceptionally dangerous for the crew. On the open ocean, the situation is further complicated, as the presence of saltwater can corrode battery casings, potentially causing short circuits that ignite even larger and more violent fires.

A Troubling Pattern: The Felicity Ace

This event involving the Morning Midas echoes the fate of the Felicity Ace in 2022. The slightly larger car carrier caught fire on the Atlantic while transporting around 4,000 luxury vehicles, including Porsches, Bentleys, and Lamborghinis. The blaze raged for almost a fortnight before the vessel finally sank, taking its entire multi-million dollar cargo with it. The entire crew of 22 was safely evacuated, but the ship and its contents were a total loss. The sinking raised significant environmental concerns due to the large quantities of fuel, oil, and batteries now lying on the seabed. Investigators never definitively established the fire's origin, but the presence of battery-powered cars led to widespread speculation and subsequent legal action.

The Felicity Ace Aftermath

The loss of the vessel Felicity Ace had significant financial repercussions. Risk models estimated the value of the cars on board at over $400 million. The total loss, including the vessel itself and salvage attempts, was projected to be even higher. Following the disaster, lawsuits filed against Volkswagen alleged that a lithium-ion battery in a Porsche model had ignited the conflagration and that the car manufacturer had failed to provide adequate warning about the risks associated with transporting its electric vehicles. The incident cast a long shadow over the maritime industry, highlighting its vulnerability to this new type of fire risk.

Another Precedent: The Fremantle Highway

In July 2023, another car carrier, the Fremantle Highway, caught fire in the North Sea off the Dutch coast. The ship was carrying 3,783 new vehicles, including a recently updated total of 498 electric cars, far more than initially reported. The fire burned for a week. Tragically, one crew member died and several others were injured during the evacuation. Emergency communications from the scene indicated the fire may have started in the battery of an electric car. While the cause has not yet been formally confirmed, the incident has added to the growing body of evidence linking EVs to these devastating fires.

Scrutiny of Emergency Response

The Fremantle Highway fire prompted a thorough investigation into the emergency response. A report on the incident, released in May 2025, identified critical delays and coordination failures. It found that there was poor prioritisation of crew rescue and that communication issues delayed medical treatment for the injured. The findings served as a stark warning that existing search and rescue protocols may not be adequate for the unique challenges posed by large-scale EV battery fires on ships. The incident became another costly lesson for the shipping world.

The Global EV Boom

These maritime disasters are happening against the backdrop of a massive global expansion in the marketplace for electric vehicles. Sales of electric cars have been increasing exponentially. In 2023, global sales were expected to reach over 14 million units. Projections suggest EVs could account for a majority of all car sales by 2030. This boom in production and sales directly translates to a surge in the number of EVs being transported by sea. The market for marine electric vehicles itself is projected to grow substantially by 2030. More EVs on ships means a higher probability of incidents, a fact that worries insurers and safety experts.

A Dangerous Regulatory Lag

Despite the clear and present danger, specific international regulations for the safe maritime transport of electric cars are still lacking. The International Maritime Organization (IMO), the UN body that governs global shipping, is in the process of developing new rules. The IMO's Maritime Safety Committee is discussing amendments to existing safety codes, but the process is slow. New mandatory regulations are not expected to come into force until 2027 or 2028 at the earliest. This leaves the industry in a dangerous grey area, where a rapidly growing risk is not yet covered by a unified global safety standard.

Image Credit - Maritime Gateway

National and Regional Stopgaps

In the absence of binding international rules, some regional bodies have attempted to fill the gap. The European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) has published guidance on the carriage of alternative-fuelled vehicles. Similarly, the UK's Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) released a notice with safety advice for electric vehicles on passenger ferries. While these efforts are steps in the right direction, they are not globally unified or mandatory. This patchwork of recommendations falls short of the comprehensive, international framework needed to properly address the scale of the hazard. The industry remains years away from a common global guideline.

An Industry on High Alert

Many in the shipping industry are not waiting for regulators to act. Proactive ship operators and classification societies are already developing their own enhanced safety measures. These measures include installing advanced fire detection systems, such as thermal imaging cameras, to spot overheating batteries before a fire can take hold. There is a strong focus on early detection, as this is critical to preventing thermal runaway. Other initiatives involve developing new firefighting equipment specifically for battery fires, such as water lancing tools designed to penetrate and cool battery packs directly. These actions demonstrate a growing recognition of the unique dangers posed by EVs.

New Protocols and Training

Beyond technology, new safety protocols are being implemented. Some ferry operators have banned the charging of EVs during transit to reduce the risk of battery incidents. Companies are also investing heavily in specialised training for their crews. This training ensures that seafarers can recognise the specific risks of EV fires, understand the hazards posed by high-voltage equipment, and respond effectively to an emergency involving toxic gases. The goal is to equip crews with the knowledge and tools needed to manage a situation that is very different from a conventional fire. Proper cargo handling and stowage procedures are also being revised to minimise the chance of battery damage during a voyage.

The Staggering Financial Toll

Fires on car carriers result in colossal financial losses. The insurance claims from just three major incidents in recent years, including the Golden Ray which capsized in 2019, have cost the marine insurance industry close to $900 million. The loss of the Felicity Ace alone was estimated to be a potential half-billion dollar disaster when considering the cargo and salvage costs. The Fremantle Highway fire was projected to result in a cargo loss exceeding £260 million. These figures do not even include the costs of wreck removal or environmental cleanup, which can be astronomical. The salvage of the Golden Ray, for instance, ran into the hundreds of millions of dollars.

The Hidden Environmental Cost

When a massive automobile-transporting vessel sinks, the environmental impact can be devastating. These ships contain thousands of tons of oil and other fuels, which can leak and cause extensive damage to marine ecosystems. The cargo itself introduces a new layer of pollution. When the Felicity Ace sank, it sent thousands of cars, plastics, and, crucially, lithium-ion batteries to the ocean floor. Ecologists worry about the long-term impact of these materials slowly degrading and releasing heavy metals and other toxins into the deep-sea environment. These wrecks can disrupt sensitive habitats and harm marine life for decades to come.

A Critical Turning Point

The fire on the Morning Midas serves as a stark reminder of the urgent safety challenge facing the global shipping industry. The rapid transition to electric vehicles, a cornerstone of climate action on land, has introduced a significant and not yet fully managed risk at sea. The current regulatory framework has not kept pace with technological change, leaving a dangerous void. While the industry is beginning to respond with new technologies and protocols, incidents continue to happen. Preventing future disasters will require a concerted effort from car manufacturers, shipping companies, insurers, and international regulators to create and enforce a robust new safety regime for the electric era of maritime transport.