According to the Associated Press, the 125-meter-long Genius Star XI cargo ship of Taiwan's Smart Ocean Group, with a deadweight of more than 13,000 tons, was carrying an unknown number of lithium-ion batteries from Vietnam to San Diego under the Panamanian flag. The fire broke out on Christmas Day, starting in Cargo Hold No. 1, and for fear of an explosion, the crew released carbon dioxide into the cargo hold according to standard procedures and sealed it.
On the 28th, the cargo ship reported the fire to the US Coast Guard, and the guard asked them to be rerouted to Holland Harbor, Alaska, and arrived on Friday, but it was not approved to approach the coast, but stopped at the sea 3.2 kilometers from the port, a group of fire experts has boarded the ship to check, and no signs of structural deformation or blistering have been found, and the fire is still being extinguished, and the 19 crew members are not injured.
This is not the first time that lithium-ion batteries have caught fire on ships, in 2022, the freighter Felicity Ace carrying 4,000 electric vehicles was caught in fire and sank while crossing the Atlantic, and 1,117 Porsches, 1,944 Audis, 189 Bentleys, 85 Lamborghinis, and 561 Volkswagens were buried at the bottom of the sea, with losses of up to $400 million.
It seems that lithium-ion batteries are indeed dangerous, with internal manufacturing defects, physical damage or substandard quality, internal electrical faults (overcharging, over-discharging, short circuiting) and thermal runaway, among others, which can lead to fires, which can ignite at the slightest disagreement, and are difficult to extinguish, resulting in a lot of property and life loss every year.
Just seen the news that the fire in the Genius Star XI appears to be under control.
