Growing concerns over electric vehicle transportation at sea prompt innovation in firefighting systems as major vessel losses mount
The maritime industry is grappling with an escalating fire safety crisis on roll-on/roll-off (RoRo) vessels and car carriers, particularly those transporting electric vehicles (EVs), as a series of catastrophic incidents has highlighted the limitations of traditional firefighting methods and sparked urgent calls for enhanced safety measures.
The most recent and dramatic example unfolded in June 2025 when the car carrier Morning Midas sank in the North Pacific after a three-week firefighting battle. The vessel sank at approximately 16:35 local time on June 23 in waters approximately 5,000 meters deep and 360 nautical miles from land, following damage from an initial fire that was exacerbated by heavy weather and progressive water ingress. The fire began on June 3 when smoke was detected emanating from a deck carrying electric vehicles during the vessel's voyage from Yantai, China to Lázaro Cárdenas, Mexico.
The Morning Midas was carrying approximately 3,000 vehicles at the time of the incident, including about 800 electric vehicles (EVs), comprising 70 fully electric and 681 hybrid electric vehicles. All 22 crew members were safely evacuated, but the vessel's total loss represents the latest in a troubling pattern of car carrier disasters.
This incident follows several other notable fires in recent years. In April 2025, a major fire broke out aboard the MV Delphine while berthed at CLdN's terminal in Britannia Dock, Zeebrugge, Belgium, originating on a cargo deck carrying approximately 60 electric vehicles and 40 conventional cars. Around 100 vehicles were completely destroyed, with the incident serving as a valuable learning experience in managing EV fires.
The 2022 Felicity Ace disaster remains the most costly example, with the ship catching fire with over 4,000 vehicles on board, causing severe structural damage that eventually caused the ship to sink to a depth of 10,000 feet with complete loss of cargo, resulting in estimated financial losses in the region of US$400-$500 million.
Marine insurance data paints a concerning picture of fire incidents on RoRo vessels. Marine underwriters have witnessed that the frequency of fires in the car/ro-ro passenger vessel segment is increasing and is currently at a level twice the frequency of fires on most other vessel types, with more than one percent of vessels in the car/ro-ro passenger vessel segment experiencing a fire every year.
In 2024, the maritime sector recorded 250 fire incidents—a 20% increase from the previous year and the highest in a decade, with approximately 30% of these fires occurring on container ships, cargo vessels, and roll-on/roll-off carriers. Lloyd's List Intelligence data shows that of the serious fire incidents on board large ro-ro vessels over the past 10 years, six ships were declared as constructive total losses, while two ships sank in deep waters.
The transportation of electric vehicles presents unique firefighting challenges that traditional maritime fire suppression systems struggle to address. In the instance of a fire involving a BEV the only way to cool the battery is to use large amounts of water. Typically to fight a conventionally fuelled vehicle fire would require 4000 litres of water. It is estimated that a BEV fire would take a minimum of 10000 litres.
Fires develop in intensity quickly and rapidly reach their maximum intensity (typically within 2-3 minutes), have long lasting re-ignition risk (can ignite or re-ignite weeks, or maybe months after the provoking incident), and once established fires are difficult to stop/extinguish.
Putting out a fire in an internal-combustion car might take as little as 30 minutes and a few hundred gallons of water, while an electric car battery fire could take upwards of 4,000 gallons of water and many hours to extinguish—and much more for commercial trucks.
The problem is compounded by the confined spaces of ship cargo holds. To facilitate carriage of automobiles the internal spaces are not divided into separate sections like other cargo ships. The lack of internal bulkheads can have an adverse impact on fire safety and a small fire on one vehicle or battery can grow out of control very quickly.
In response to these challenges, the industry is developing innovative firefighting solutions specifically designed for EV fires on vessels. The most promising development is a revolutionary brine-based firefighting system developed by Skansi Offshore and KNUD E. HANSEN.
Unlike traditional fire suppression methods, which act from the outside and often fail to extinguish the core fire, the brine system targets the battery directly from inside the vehicle. In the event of a fire, one window is penetrated, and cold, saturated brine is delivered directly into the cabin. This allows the fluid to pool around the battery compartment, rapidly cooling the cells, limiting oxygen exposure, suppressing flammable materials, and even short-circuiting and depowering the battery.
In a full-scale fire test conducted in the Faroe Islands, the system extinguished a fully developed EV fire in under one hour, including response times etc. In contrast, lithium-ion battery fires often burn for 24 hours or more when left to self-extinguish, and can reignite multiple times.
The system offers several advantages: It uses only natural ingredients (salt and water), produces no toxins, operates without pressure, leaves no chemical residues, is compatible with standard fire hoses and couplings, and can be retrofitted on existing RoRo and RoPAX vessels with minimal modification.
The system is operational aboard Norrøna, sailing the world's longest RoPAX route, and is scheduled for installation on two new RoRo vessels under construction.
Beyond firefighting capabilities, the industry is also investing in improved detection systems. Developed by Consilium Safety Group, primarily designed for RoRo ships, the technology employs a combination of temperature, smoke, and gas sensors to monitor the environment for signs of fire, using artificial intelligence to analyse sensor data, enabling the early identification of potential fire threats.
The use of close-circuit television (CCTV) with thermal imagining may allow for early detection of thermal runaway, and crew can use a thermal imaging camera when conducting safety rounds of the vehicle deck to allow for early detection.
The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has been working to address these challenges through updated regulations. In 2019, the IMO formally adopted MSC.1/1615 Interim Guidelines for Minimising the Incidence and Consequence of Fires on New and Existing RoRo Passenger Ships, though these guidelines were designed primarily for RoPax vessels and are recommendatory, not mandatory.
The COVID-19 pandemic interrupted the IMO process, and the intended review did not resume until March 2024. Finalisation and SOLAS Chapter II-2 amendments to mandatory regulation are therefore likely to be several years away.
Recent regulatory developments include amendments to SOLAS Chapter II-2/20 - Fire safety on ships fitted with vehicle, special category, open and closed ro-ro spaces and weather decks intended for the carriage of vehicles, and amendments to the Fire Safety Systems (FSS) Code - fire safety on Ro-Ro passenger ships.
Marine insurers are leading efforts to improve safety standards. The International Union of Marine Insurance (IUMI) favors improved regulation at an international level rather than unilateral or regional action, and given the severity of these fires, IUMI urges an early output of regulatory review.
Insurers are expected to lead the charge on strengthening safety systems on ships, with options being worked on including new chemicals to douse flames, specialized EV fire blankets, battery piercing fire hose nozzles and proposals to segregate EVs.
Despite the challenges, comprehensive research projects are providing valuable insights. The European Commission-funded LASH FIRE project, which received €13.5 million over four years, has produced encouraging findings. The fire growth rate of an EV fire is not faster than that of a conventional car fire. Battery car fires can be controlled and extinguished by drencher systems among other methods.
The Danish ELBAS project reached similar conclusions. In their executive summary, DBI finished on a positive note: "In conclusion, the issue of EV fire safety onboard ships should not be a barrier to meeting the increasing market demand and support the green transition. The overall conclusion of the ELBAS project is that EV fires on ferries are not to be feared more than any other fire at sea. They can typically be dealt with using the correct technology, education, and training of shipboard personnel".
The International Union of Marine Insurance (IUMI) stressed that to date, "no fire onboard a ro-ro or PCTC has been proven to have been caused by a factory-new EV".
The industry is implementing new safety measures for EV transportation. BEVs should not be charged while onboard, should be stowed in designated areas away from machinery spaces, emergency equipment, dangerous goods, and passengers, and operators should consult with local fire and rescue services to establish procedures for coordinating emergency operations.
Leading RoPax operators in Western Europe and the UK are already applying IMO Interim Guidelines, including pre-embarkation identification of EVs, utilisation of thermal image detectors (both fixed and portable) and special EV and AFV firefighting training.
As the maritime industry continues its transition toward greener transportation, the challenge of safely transporting electric vehicles at sea remains paramount. Meeting global emission targets in line with the Paris Agreement could see 70 million EVs manufactured by 2025 and 230 million by 2030, making effective solutions increasingly urgent.
The combination of innovative firefighting technologies like brine-based systems, enhanced detection capabilities, improved training protocols, and strengthened regulatory frameworks offers hope that the industry can successfully manage the evolving risk profile of electric vehicle transportation at sea.
However, the recent loss of the Morning Midas serves as a stark reminder that continued vigilance, investment in safety technologies, and collaboration between ship operators, equipment manufacturers, regulators, and insurers will be essential to prevent future tragedies and protect both lives and assets in this critical transportation sector.