Ships need to upgrade fire systems, GDV tells IUMI delegates

Container ships, particularly those transporting electric vehicles, should be divided into fire compartments to reduce the risk of blazes at sea, said general manager of the German insurance association GDV Jörg Asmussen.

As marine insurers gathered in Berlin for the annual International Union of Marine Insurers (IUMI) conference, Asmussen said the risk posed by fires sparked by lithium-ion batteries in electric vehicles needed greater investment to upgrade dated extinguishing systems.

“If the batteries catch fire, it is difficult to control the fire with conventional extinguishing systems,” Asmussen said, calling for automatic water curtains to be installed in fire compartments to control the risk of the fire spreading.

“Fire extinguishing systems have not kept pace with the development in size of ships in recent decades. Some of the crews still work with technology from the 1950s,” Asmussen told IUMI delegates.

In July, container ship MV Maersk Frankfurt was ablaze for several days in the Indian Ocean on its maiden voyage, killing one crew member.

Given the total value of up to €1bn, the ship and its cargo must be better protected, says Asmussen. “We need fire extinguishing systems that can effectively reach every spot on the ship without people having to put themselves in danger,” he said.