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2023-08-01 Science & Technology

Flaming Cargo Ship Contains Many More EVs Than First Reported

[TruthAboutCars] An enormous vehicle carrier that caught fire at sea earlier this week appears to have far more electric vehicles on board than first suggested.

This ship, christened the Fremantle Highway, was first reported aflame off the Dutch coast a couple of days ago. Initial information hinted there were at least 25 EVs on its manifest and that the conflagration likely began at or near one of those cars. Now, reports are surfacing that there could be nearly five hundred electric cars in the ship’s hold, a realization that adds a lot more gravitas to a situation that has already claimed the life of one person and injured scores of others.

A spokesperson for the vessel’s charter told Automotive News their records show 3,783 vehicles in total aboard the ship, about a thousand more than first reported, including 498 battery-electric vehicles. Specific brands were not mentioned but information already in the public sphere tells us at least 10 percent of the total are Mercedes-Benz units, though it is unclear how many – if any – of the EVs are Mercs. BMW has also told some outlets they have vehicles aboard the Fremantle Highway.

Astute readers know fires involving lithium-ion batteries are notoriously difficult to extinguish, often burning with ferocious intensity exceeding that of a blaze fuelled by traditional materials. It is worth noting local authorities have yet to pin down the fire’s exact cause, so it would be irresponsible to say with certainty that a faulty EV is on the hook for this disaster. What can be said with certainty is that any fire, regardless of its source, in a confined space containing hundreds of electric cars has the potential to be one hell of an inferno.

Information on MarineTraffic.com says the Fremantle Highway departed a port in Germany’s North Sea around 5:00 pm local time on Tuesday. Records show it was planning a sail to Port Said in Egypt, near the Suez Canal, a journey of about a week’s steam. The ship was built about 12 years ago and is a big’un, over 650 feet long.

Posted by DarthVader 2023-08-01 00:13|| || Front Page|| [11135 views ] Top

#1 Can they see the flames from Space?

Posted by Skidmark 2023-08-01 00:54|| 2023-08-01 00:54|| Front Page Top

#2 Dark Market Capitalism 101
Products not selling on the open market in a down economy, tend to experience mass accidents that destroy the unsellable products.

While still providing a good R.O.I . just from the Insurance company instead. Plus the Tax write-offs.

Of Course, it could just be the well-known problem of EV batteries shorting out (water or rough handling) and going FLAME ON.

Posted by NN2N1 2023-08-01 06:04|| 2023-08-01 06:04|| Front Page Top

#3 Records show it was planning a sail to Port Said in Egypt, near the Suez Canal, a journey of about a week’s steam. The ship was built about 12 years ago and is a big’un, over 650 feet long.

...I'm not thinkin' that the EV infrastructure in Port Said - or anywhere else in that part of the world - is very robust...

Mike

Posted by MikeKozlowski 2023-08-01 06:56|| 2023-08-01 06:56|| Front Page Top

#4 ^ My first thought too...

Posted by M. Murcek 2023-08-01 07:17|| 2023-08-01 07:17|| Front Page Top

#5 ..however, they do have a lot of sand.

Posted by Procopius2k 2023-08-01 07:42|| 2023-08-01 07:42|| Front Page Top

#6 Astute readers know fires involving lithium-ion batteries are notoriously difficult to extinguish

Will they survive a sinking?

Posted by Skidmark 2023-08-01 15:39|| 2023-08-01 15:39|| Front Page Top

#7 Remember during early covid, when there was a giant glut of rental cars and a strange fire destroyed hundreds of perfectly good cars? Not even on a shiop!

Posted by Bobby 2023-08-01 17:04|| 2023-08-01 17:04|| Front Page Top

00:22 EMS Artifact
00:16 Skidmark