Fears Fremantle Highway may continue to burn as electric vehicles on board have been modified

Photo: Dutch Coast Guard

The authorities have radically revised the number of electric cars on board Fremantle Highway, As the ill-fated car carrier flying the Panamanian flag is being towed while it is still burning.

Not only were there more cars on board than previously reported, revised up to 3,783 from the previous figure of 2,857, but Fremantle HighwayThe 498’s electric vehicle (EV) lineup is significantly higher than the 25 initially reported.

This means that batteries make up a higher percentage of the ship’s tonnage than in Felicity Ace, a car carrier that sank in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean after catastrophic fires last year, with only 281 electric vehicles on board. This discovery begs the question of whether Fremantle Highway would sink with her cargo off the Dutch coast, or whether the closer approach and faster travel times of the missiles could save the ship.

The lithium-ion batteries inside electric vehicles are made up of thousands of individual cells, which means that a fire can be very difficult to put out because heat from a burning cell can cause combustion in neighboring cells, even after it has been extinguished. This gives the impression that the battery is automatically re-ignited and that these fires can be prolonged, as the fire spreads through each battery.

shot on Fremantle Highway It claimed the life of one Indian seaman, and there are widespread casualties among the ship’s other 24 crew, including seven who were forced to jump from the side of the ship, plunge about 30 metres, and impacted by the water around it. 130 km / h. Two lifeboats behind Fremantle HighwayThe apartment building was rendered unusable due to the fire.

after a loss Felicity AceSafety measures have been taken throughout the auto carrier sector, including the refusal of a citizen of K-Line MOL to load used or damaged electric vehicles. This, however, will not save Fremantle Highway All vehicles on board are reported to be new.

“We have to recognize that there is a bad streak (of fires), if not a worrying trend,” said Peregrine Storrs-Fox, director of risk management at the TT Club. loadstar Friday.