Tuesday, November 14, 2023

Ship's lithium-ion battery explosion

The thermal runaway of a cell within a handheld radio’s lithium-ion battery led to a fire on an oil tanker in 2022 while it was docked at the Genesis Port Allen Terminal in Baton Rouge, La., the National Transportation Safety Board said recently. 

The fire resulted in $3M in damage to the vessel. 

The fire oil the tanker S-Trust was caused by one of the cells in a lithium-ion battery for an ultra-high-frequency handheld radio exploding

The batteries and chargers for the handheld radios were located on the communications table on the bridge. The vessel’s crew extinguished the fire. The S-Trust’s navigation, communication and alarm systems were damaged beyond use but there were no reported injuries. 

Lithium-ion battery cell explosions are typically caused by a thermal runaway, a chemical reaction that can cause the cell to ignite and explode. A lithium-ion battery cell can spontaneously experience a thermal runaway if damaged, shorted, overheated, defective or overcharged. Crews can help to prevent thermal runaways and ensuing fires by ... (Work Boat 11/14/23) NTSB highlights potential fire risks of lithium-ion batteries | WorkBoat

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