Matson Inc, the U.S. owned carrier operating in the Pacific has suspended all transport of electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles across its fleet, citing safety concerns over lithium-ion batteries.
The move comes in the wake of several dangerous fires at sea linked to electric vehicles (EVs), including the recent June sinking of the Morning Midas in the North Pacific. The 600-foot vessel was carrying more than 3,000 fully electric and partial hybrid electric vehicles when smoke was detected from a deck carrying the electric vehicles. Despite the crew’s quick response, the fire spread rapidly, forcing all 22 crew members to abandon ship.
This incident follows a similar disaster in February 2022, where a car carrier caught fire in the mid-Atlantic and sank with nearly 4,000 vehicles aboard. In both cases, experts believe the fires may have been caused by the lithium-ion batteries used in electric vehicles.
The U.S. Coast Guard and other agencies have warned about this risk, especially after storms like Hurricane Ian, when saltwater-damaged EVs caught fire on land.
Matson says it will only start shipping EVs again once stronger safety rules are in place. Meanwhile, U.S. regulators are updating guidelines to improve the safe transport of lithium batteries.
New rules from the U.S. Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) require shippers to meet both U.S. regulations and International Maritime Dangerous Goods (IMDG) code.
Source: gCaptain
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