A lot of latest ship fires have underscored the persevering with security menace created by the transportation of lithium-ion batteries.
Now insurance coverage suppliers TT Club and UK P&I Club (each Thomas Miller managed mutuals) have joined with technical and scientific consultancy, Brookes Bell to launch a free white paper that brings better consciousness of the hazards inherent within the carriage of lithium-ion batteries, notably by sea.
It comes because the elevated demand for “green power” for a variety of transportable units and bigger merchandise, resembling electrical automobiles, factors to the manufacturing and transport of those batteries rising exponentially within the coming years.
The white paper goals to lift consciousness of the possibly catastrophic scenario that may be brought on by battery failure and to appropriate a extensively held notion within the maritime group that dangers within the provide chain of such merchandise are comparatively small.
“Recently, serious and sometimes catastrophic incidents involving lithium-ion batteries have become more commonplace, with fires reported in all modes of transport – ocean, air and land — as well as in warehouses and where such consignments are at rest,” says Peregrine Storrs-Fox, TT’s threat administration director.
As loss prevention director on the UK P&I Club, Stuart Edmonston isn’t any stranger to the harm ship fires may cause.
“The consequences of battery failure and the resultant thermal runaway must be clearly understood and the correct procedures for handling them adhered to throughout their lifespan,” he warns. “The dangers can exist no matter the status of the battery; charged, semi-charged, used, second-hand or scrap, and whether present in devices and vehicles or packaged separately.”
Topics lined within the white paper embrace particulars of the background science behind lithium-ion batteries, the hazards related to transporting them and why they come up, resembling inadequate testing and incorrect declaration.
The paper additionally supplies a evaluate of present harmful items (DG) regulatory provisions, specializing in the International Maritime Dangerous Goods (IMDG) Code, with suggestions for change or additional work.
The ultimate part of the paper discusses the present state of the firefighting provisions of the code and modifications that may very well be applied. However, the authors don’t restrict their threat prevention recommendation to expertise geared toward extinguishing fires as soon as begun. They additionally put ahead pointers to assist pre-empt harmful incidents by appropriate classification and declaration, secure and efficient packaging, necessary markings and labeling, uniformity of laws on testing and appropriate storage environments for batteries awaiting transport.
“While increased industry awareness is crucial and technology to monitor and restrict fires is advancing, the increased capacities of batteries and the expected rise in trade volumes means regulations are potentially not fit for purpose, having been slow to catch up,” says Karwei So, managing scientist at Brookes Bell.
- Download the free white paper HERE
