Hazards of Ship Batteries

Are lithium-ion batteries affecting shipping safety?

As a key component of electric vehicles (EVs) or electronic devices, the transport of highly inflammable lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries is increasingly impacting shipping safety as demonstrated by a number of fires on vessels such as roll-on roll-off (ro-ro) car carriers and container ships.

Are battery shipments dangerous?

Battery shipments, whether large standalone storage units or palletized container loads that have been packaged according to Dangerous Goods Regulations, have to withstand the rigors of transit. This includes numerous touch points and handling of cargo, which can lead to damaged cells, batteries, and packaging.

Are batteries safe onboard ships?

With regular usage of batteries onboard ships, we often forget the care and precautions that need to go with it. While it might seem irrelevant, they do pose a considerable chance of danger if not handled properly.

Why is Battery Care important for a ship's safety officer?

Batteries are used in almost every important equipment onboard ships, and yet not much attention is paid for their care and handling. This topic is specifically important for the ship’s Safety Officer onboard. Hazards such as explosions that occur during charging of batteries mainly occur due to hydrogen as well as short circuits.

Are lithium-ion batteries dangerous?

The potential dangers that the transportation of lithium-ion batteries pose if they are not stored or handled correctly only add to these concerns, and we have already seen a number of incidents.”

What are the most common causes of battery hazard?

The most common causes of these hazards are substandard manufacturing of battery cells/devices; over-charging of the battery cells; over-temperature by short circuiting, and damaged battery cells or devices, which, among other causes, can result from poor packing and handling or cargo shift in rough seas if not adequately secured.