Spain Activates Emergency Plan to Prevent EV Battery Fires on Ferries During Operation Marhaba

The Spanish Ministry of Transport has warned of the risk of lithium-ion and hybrid electric vehicle battery fires that could occur on ships due to heat and the high concentration of vehicles as part of Operation Marhaba, reports Vozpopuli. "Aware that the current regulations do not provide for specific measures for this type of fire, the participating shipping companies have been asked to adopt additional safety measures to ensure maritime safety both in transport and in loading, unloading and stowage operations on board," explain sources from the Ministry of Transport.

"Spain has repeatedly asked the International Maritime Organization (IMO) to put in place regulations, following cases of fires caused by electric vehicle batteries on ships in transit," it is added. Several fires of this type have been recorded since 2017, leading shipping companies and insurers to take measures and demand increased battery control. The government is focusing on the ongoing Operation Marhaba, which will record the transit of nearly 700,000 vehicles, stressing the difficulty in extinguishing these battery fires, which are more significant than those caused by gasoline and diesel.

According to an Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty report, nearly 240,000 fires caused by electric vehicle batteries on ferries were noted between 2017 and 2022, resulting in losses of 9.2 billion euros. For this Operation Marhaba 2023, the Directorate General of Civil Protection and Emergencies has put in place a special civil protection plan to prevent risky situations. In 2022, 2,912,283 passengers and 695,487 vehicles participated in the Transit Operation, compared to already more than 700,000 passengers and nearly 176,000 vehicles as of July 19, according to the latest data provided by Civil Protection, an increase of 3.8% and 3.3%.