Fire drama in the Pacific: Autofrachter Morning Midas burns!

Fire drama in the Pacific: Autofrachter Morning Midas burns!

Alaska, USA - In the Pacific, the “Morning Midas” cargo ship is on fire. There are 3048 vehicles on board, including over 700 electrical and hybrid vehicles. Like Merkur reported, transported cars from various Chinese manufacturers from China to Mexico. The fire broke out on Tuesday, June 3, and the entire 22-member crew was brought to safety.

The crew tried to control the situation under control through emergency fire fighting measures, but without success. A overflight of the coast guard on June 5 confirmed that the fire continued to rage. In the meantime, a tractor with rescue specialists and special equipment has been sent to support the extinguishing work, the arrival of which is expected for June 9. The exact cause of the fire is still unclear.

dangerous freight and rising risks

Among the 3048 vehicles on board the "Morning Midas" are 70 pure electric vehicles and 681 hybrid vehicles. 350,000 liters of gasoline and 1.53 million liters of very low -sulfur heating oil are also located in the ship. The increase in fires on ships that transport electric vehicles is particularly worrying. These incidents have increased in recent years, which, among other things, is due to the challenge associated with the fire fighting of lithium-ion batteries.

like notes note, lithium batteries are considered comparatively secure, assumed, they are passed, they are extensive. These tests include high-rise simulations, thermal tests and vibration and impact tests to ensure the safety of the batteries. Nevertheless, the fire fighting remains challenging in the event of a fire.

fire fighting and security measures

The fire protection expert Donato Muro describes in Safety engineer NRW that is possible, but more complex than with conventional vehicles. Water is the main solvent for fire fighting, whereby thermal imaging cameras have to be used for temperature monitoring. Due to the risk of return, lithium-ion memory should be accommodated or handed over to a disposal company.

In addition, it is warned that the fire water requirement for burning electric vehicles can be considerably higher. An example shows that up to 11,000 liters of water may be necessary to delete a burning electric vehicle. Firefighters often only have limited amounts of water on board, which requires additional water supply.