The report came in the wake of a serious battery fire in the hybrid boat “MS Brim” a year and a half ago. The fire brigade then feared that the batteries would explode or that corrosive acid would form. The same error can be repeated if the regulations are not changed, the report further states. – One of the important findings is that there are no effective fire extinguishing systems if there is a fire in lithium-ion batteries. This is what Dag Sverre Liseth, department director for the maritime department in the Accident Investigation Board, says. The AIBN has now asked the Norwegian Maritime Directorate to come up with more measures. One of the measures is to secure passengers and crew if lithium-ion batteries start to burn. It took a full seven days to get control of the fire in “MS Brim”. Lithium-ion batteries Lithium-ion batteries are widely used today in modern electronics, such as laptops, mobile phones, digital cameras and not least; in electric cars. Experience has shown that lithium-ion batteries are more prone to catch fire than other types of batteries. This is probably related to the chemical composition of the battery, which is also the reason why the battery type has a higher cell voltage than all other battery types. It contains flammable components such as carbon, oxygen and flammable liquids. A thin layer of lithium cobalt oxide acts as a negative pole, while a strip of graphite acts as a positive pole. So it seems that it wins in higher voltage, at the same time makes the battery type somewhat more prone to burning. It may therefore be a good idea to charge such batteries under supervision. The battery type has more or less replaced the nickel-based battery types. The advantages are greater capacity and lower weight. The modern lithium-ion batteries can withstand good charging; the ideal is actually that they are used down to 40 percent of capacity and then recharged to 80 percent of full capacity. Most battery types lose some of their voltage over time due to some self-discharge. A weakness with the Li-ion battery is that the capacity is significantly reduced at low temperatures. Mobile phones therefore thrive best in the inside pocket when the temperature drops to 0 ° C. Source: SNL. Working with rule change The Norwegian Maritime Directorate has worked with the guidelines for this type of battery system since the accident in the Oslo Fjord, says communications director in the Norwegian Maritime Directorate, Dag Inge Aarhus. According to him, the directorate assesses the need for changes and clarifications in the regulations. – These are things we look at when a serious incident occurs, or incidents that can be serious. ADDITIONAL PROTECTION: Firefighters had to dress up in protective clothing on top of the emergency clothing for extra protection during the extinguishing of “MS Brim”. In addition, they had double bottles of breathing air on their backs. Photo: Vestfold Intermunicipal Fire Brigade In May, the Norwegian Maritime Directorate issued an advisory circular on the battery system. – This makes this case a little different from other recommendations we receive from the AIBN. Here we have already done part of the job. Now we need to see if the recommendations make the changes we have made, and if there is a need to make further changes. – Obvious that batteries must be waterproof – It is common in the report that the regulations do not sufficiently take on the risk of putting batteries in a boat. This is what the technical manager of the shipping company in Tromsø-based Brim Explorer, Espen Larsen-Hakkebo, says. The shipping company owns the catamaran that caught fire in the Oslo Fjord. Brim Explorer’s boats are used in Lofoten, Tromsø and on Svalvard. Pleasure boats pollute more than you might think. Many hope that economic incentives will make electric boats as attractive as electric cars. This feature is from 2019. – Measures must be taken on board all boats that have batteries. In any case, you have to make sure that they are safe, says Larsen-Hakkebo. He emphasizes that it is not wrong to put batteries in boats, but one must do it properly. The cause of the accident was that water leaked from the ventilation outlet to the battery room, according to the AIBN’s report. WANTS MEASURES: Espen Larsen-Hakkebo believes measures should be taken on board all electric boats if they have not already been done. Photo: Brim Explorer – That batteries placed on board a maritime vessel must be waterproof is completely obvious to us. I wish it was obvious to the authorities and classmates. Following the incident, the company has rebuilt the existing boats and ventilation systems.
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– The regulations for some electric boat batteries not safe enough – news Troms and Finnmark
