Hidden sparks: the shipboard hazard of small lithium-ion batteries

While the risks of transporting electric vehicles continue to provide a safety focus for regulators, personal electronic devices, chargers and even vapes can ignite devastating fires in confined spaces onboard, warns Captain Trevor Fernandes, Senior Loss Prevention Executive, NorthStandard

The maritime industry is aware of the dangers of lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery fires in confined shipboard environments, and especially aboard car carriers and containerships transporting electric vehicles. Less widely acknowledged is that fact that the hazards posed by larger Li-ion batteries in electric cars, trucks and scooters also apply to smaller ones powering everyday electronic gadgets.