Guidelines for the Safe Transportation of Electric Vehicles published by ClassNK

The Nippon Kaiji Kyokai (ClassNK) has released the Guidelines for the Safe Transportation of Electric Vehicles and the List of Fire Safety Measures for the Maritime Transportation of Electric Vehicles, to support enhancing the safety of maritime transportation of electric vehicles.

The number of electric vehicles (EVs) transported by vessels has increased in recent years.

However, there are concerns regarding the fire of their lithium-ion batteries due to difficulties in extinguishing and the risk of re-ignition.

While the IMO and flag administrations are formulating safety regulations, shipping companies operating vehicle carriers are proactively addressing firefighting measures ahead of such regulatory implementation.

To assist these efforts, ClassNK has developed “Guidelines for the Safe Transportation of Electric Vehicles", which describes the characteristics of EV fires and provides guidance on how to respond, built upon dialogue with experts, operators, manufacturers, and other stakeholders, as well as a comprehensive literature review.

The guidelines also set out requirements for class notations for vessels equipped with additional firefighting measures for transporting EVs.

Furthermore, “List of Fire Safety Measures for the Maritime Transportation of Electric Vehicles” details approximately 40 measures for early detection, suppression, prevention of fire spread, and extinguishing.

To offer information for introducing fire safety measures and developing related technologies, it presents not only the effectiveness and benefits but also potential issues and points to be considered.

Both the guidelines and the list will be updated swiftly in line with future ClassNK’s research findings and industry trends.

ClassNK is committed to contributing to the establishment and improvement of safety measures for the maritime transport of EVs.

The guidelines and list are available on the following page of the ClassNK website: Home > Product & Services > Safety Measures for Maritime Transportation of Electric Vehicles

https://www.classnk.or.jp/hp/en/activities/statutory/ev_carriage_safety/index.html

LINK TO THE ORIGINAL ARTICLE (published 31 August 2023)