https://rorosafe.in/ Blogs, technical articles, and case studies on maritime EV-fire risk, RoRo/PCTC safety, detection, and the marine insurance climate. en Thu, 30 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://rorosafe.in/blogs/can-an-autonomous-ship-fight-a-deck-fire https://rorosafe.in/blogs/can-an-autonomous-ship-fight-a-deck-fire Thu, 30 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT The IMO's MASS Code took effect 1 July 2026. On a reduced-crew car carrier, detection stops being an early warning and becomes the response itself. https://rorosafe.in/case-studies/auto-banner-67-hours-alongside-a-pier https://rorosafe.in/case-studies/auto-banner-67-hours-alongside-a-pier Thu, 30 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT A 2018 used-car cargo burned for 67 hours alongside in Incheon, destroying ~1,500 vehicles. No EVs involved — the car-deck problem predates them. https://rorosafe.in/blogs/can-you-ship-a-damaged-ev-battery https://rorosafe.in/blogs/can-you-ship-a-damaged-ev-battery Wed, 29 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT Yes — under SP 376, one of the IMDG Code's strictest regimes. Yet the same damaged pack, still inside a car on a ro-ro deck, can sail undeclared. https://rorosafe.in/blogs/do-pure-ev-car-carriers-change-the-risk https://rorosafe.in/blogs/do-pure-ev-car-carriers-change-the-risk Tue, 28 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT Carmakers like BYD now run near-fully-electric car carriers — BYD Shenzhen holds 9,200 vehicles. That concentrates the fire load, but also the knowledge. https://rorosafe.in/blogs/is-there-a-cargo-insurance-clause-for-evs https://rorosafe.in/blogs/is-there-a-cargo-insurance-clause-for-evs Tue, 28 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT No standard Institute EV clause exists. Cargo insurance covers an EV fire as fire, but underwriters manage lithium risk through exclusions and conditions. https://rorosafe.in/case-studies/ro-pax-ev-deck-monitoring-pilot https://rorosafe.in/case-studies/ro-pax-ev-deck-monitoring-pilot Mon, 27 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT A short-sea ro-pax ran per-vehicle EV-deck detection across an overnight season. On an occupied ferry, detection lead time is evacuation margin. https://rorosafe.in/technical-articles/can-electrolyte-vapour-warn-before-fire https://rorosafe.in/technical-articles/can-electrolyte-vapour-warn-before-fire Mon, 27 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT A failing lithium cell vents electrolyte-solvent vapour — DMC boils near 90°C — before any combustion gas or heat. That VOC is the earliest signature. https://rorosafe.in/blogs/are-heavier-evs-outgrowing-the-car-deck https://rorosafe.in/blogs/are-heavier-evs-outgrowing-the-car-deck Sat, 25 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT EVs run 10–30% heavier than petrol cars, so a car deck can hit its weight limit before its space limit — and much of the fleet wasn't designed for it. https://rorosafe.in/case-studies/euroferry-olympia-when-the-deck-had-people https://rorosafe.in/case-studies/euroferry-olympia-when-the-deck-had-people Sat, 25 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT The 2022 Euroferry Olympia fire began in a garage and killed 11 truck drivers on the vehicle decks — proof a car-deck fire is a life-safety event. https://rorosafe.in/technical-articles/does-gb-38031-change-marine-detection https://rorosafe.in/technical-articles/does-gb-38031-change-marine-detection Sat, 25 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT GB 38031-2025 makes an EV pack contain a cell runaway for 120 minutes with no fire. At sea that makes silent off-gas detection more vital, not less. https://rorosafe.in/blogs/can-a-master-be-prosecuted-after-a-fire https://rorosafe.in/blogs/can-a-master-be-prosecuted-after-a-fire Thu, 23 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT Masters get detained and charged after casualties. IMO/ILO fair-treatment guidelines are non-binding, and the crew answers for undeclared cargo. https://rorosafe.in/blogs/evs-got-a-new-un-number-does-it-help https://rorosafe.in/blogs/evs-got-a-new-un-number-does-it-help Thu, 23 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT From IMDG 42-24, lithium EVs ship as UN 3556, not the generic UN 3171. But SP 961 still exempts them on a ro-ro, so the code rarely reaches the deck. https://rorosafe.in/case-studies/felicity-ace-anatomy-of-an-unproven-fire https://rorosafe.in/case-studies/felicity-ace-anatomy-of-an-unproven-fire Thu, 23 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT The Felicity Ace sank in 2022 with ~4,000 VW Group cars. In May 2026 a German court threw out MOL's claim against Porsche — the cause was never proven. https://rorosafe.in/blogs/can-a-ro-ro-still-carry-grid-battery-cargo https://rorosafe.in/blogs/can-a-ro-ro-still-carry-grid-battery-cargo Wed, 22 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT IMDG 42-24 moved UN 3536 battery energy storage to on-deck stowage only. On a ro-ro, most of the ship is enclosed — which narrows the deck. https://rorosafe.in/blogs/is-there-a-charter-clause-for-ev-cargo https://rorosafe.in/blogs/is-there-a-charter-clause-for-ev-cargo Wed, 22 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT Not yet. BIMCO's Carriage of Electric Vehicles Clause 2026 is only in drafting, so EV fire risk on car carriers still sits in bespoke riders. https://rorosafe.in/case-studies/sincerity-ace-anatomy-fire-with-no-report https://rorosafe.in/case-studies/sincerity-ace-anatomy-fire-with-no-report Tue, 21 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT Five crew died when the Sincerity Ace burned 1,800 nm off Oahu in 2018. Panama investigated, the cause stayed unknown, and no report was published. https://rorosafe.in/technical-articles/does-deck-ventilation-delay-fire-detection https://rorosafe.in/technical-articles/does-deck-ventilation-delay-fire-detection Tue, 21 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT Yes. SOLAS II-2/20 mandates continuous ventilation on closed vehicle decks, and that airflow dilutes smoke and off-gas before detectors see it. https://rorosafe.in/blogs/does-an-ev-fire-make-a-ship-unseaworthy https://rorosafe.in/blogs/does-an-ev-fire-make-a-ship-unseaworthy Mon, 20 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT A car deck fire does not automatically excuse the carrier. If unseaworthiness caused the loss, the Hague-Visby fire defence falls away with it. https://rorosafe.in/blogs/who-declares-an-ev-as-dangerous-cargo https://rorosafe.in/blogs/who-declares-an-ev-as-dangerous-cargo Mon, 20 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT On a ro-ro, Special Provision 961 means an EV is not dangerous goods. So the ship gets no chemistry, no state of charge, no damage history. https://rorosafe.in/technical-articles/does-ur-e26-e27-apply-to-fire-detection https://rorosafe.in/technical-articles/does-ur-e26-e27-apply-to-fire-detection Mon, 20 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT Yes. UR E22 puts fire detection in Category III, so a networked grid is a Category III CBS needing E27 security capabilities and class approval. https://rorosafe.in/blogs/detection-retrofit-who-pays-owner-or-charterer https://rorosafe.in/blogs/detection-retrofit-who-pays-owner-or-charterer Fri, 17 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT The owner funds the hull retrofit; the charterer books the EVs. That split incentive is why detection waits for regulation instead of economics. https://rorosafe.in/case-studies/lay-up-and-anchorage-monitoring-pilot https://rorosafe.in/case-studies/lay-up-and-anchorage-monitoring-pilot Fri, 17 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT A laden car carrier at anchor stops moving, not risking. Through a six-week idle period on reduced manning, the layer stayed live and reported ashore. https://rorosafe.in/technical-articles/solas-2026-video-monitoring-requirement https://rorosafe.in/technical-articles/solas-2026-video-monitoring-requirement Fri, 17 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT MSC.550(108) mandates effective video monitoring and recording of vehicle spaces from 2026. It verifies and evidences an alarm — it does not detect one. https://rorosafe.in/blogs/port-fire-or-mid-ocean-which-is-worse https://rorosafe.in/blogs/port-fire-or-mid-ocean-which-is-worse Thu, 16 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT Different catastrophes: a port fire kills responders who should never have entered, while a mid-ocean fire is a total loss with no help for days. https://rorosafe.in/case-studies/genius-star-xi-anatomy-contained-battery-fire https://rorosafe.in/case-studies/genius-star-xi-anatomy-contained-battery-fire Thu, 16 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT Improperly lashed battery cargo caught fire twice in Pacific storms — yet the Genius Star XI reached port. The NTSB's rare contained lithium casualty. https://rorosafe.in/blogs/is-stow-position-a-car-deck-fire-plan https://rorosafe.in/blogs/is-stow-position-a-car-deck-fire-plan Wed, 15 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT On a packed car deck, crews can't reach an established fire — which is why 'fixed first' exists. Where an EV is stowed decides what can be fought. https://rorosafe.in/blogs/are-flood-damaged-evs-a-car-carrier-fire-risk https://rorosafe.in/blogs/are-flood-damaged-evs-a-car-carrier-fire-risk Tue, 14 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT Yes — salt water leaves conductive bridges inside an EV pack that trigger runaway days later. The US Coast Guard tells shippers not to load them. https://rorosafe.in/blogs/does-fluorine-free-foam-work-at-sea https://rorosafe.in/blogs/does-fluorine-free-foam-work-at-sea Tue, 14 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT F3 foam replaces banned AFFF, but it underperforms with seawater and non-aspirated nozzles — the marine case. And no foam stops an EV battery fire. https://rorosafe.in/case-studies/grande-america-anatomy-conro-loss https://rorosafe.in/case-studies/grande-america-anatomy-conro-loss Mon, 13 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT The Grande America carried containers and 2,100 vehicles in one hull. Investigators couldn't fix where the fire began — and CO₂ couldn't hold it. https://rorosafe.in/technical-articles/uv-ir-flame-detection-vehicle-decks https://rorosafe.in/technical-articles/uv-ir-flame-detection-vehicle-decks Mon, 13 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT UV/IR flame detectors alarm in seconds and reject sunlight, but they fire only after ignition and need a line of sight the packed car deck blocks. https://rorosafe.in/blogs/is-a-car-carrier-a-floating-accumulation-risk https://rorosafe.in/blogs/is-a-car-carrier-a-floating-accumulation-risk Sun, 12 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT Yes — and wider than one hull. Felicity Ace lost ~$400M of cars on one ship, but accumulation also stacks up dockside and across a shared battery defect. https://rorosafe.in/case-studies/operational-alarm-data-review https://rorosafe.in/case-studies/operational-alarm-data-review Sun, 12 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT A fleet season of live vehicle-deck alarm data: where nuisance trips come from, and how per-vehicle baselining held the false-positive rate near zero. https://rorosafe.in/technical-articles/vehicle-to-vehicle-fire-spread-window https://rorosafe.in/technical-articles/vehicle-to-vehicle-fire-spread-window Sun, 12 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT Full-scale tests show fire reaches the next car in ~20 minutes, and deck spacing is tighter than a parking lot. That spread time is your detection budget. https://rorosafe.in/case-studies/newbuild-pctc-commissioning-detection https://rorosafe.in/case-studies/newbuild-pctc-commissioning-detection Sat, 11 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT A 9,300-CEU methanol dual-fuel newbuild had its detection layer built in and commissioned at sea trials — baselined before the first car ever loaded. https://rorosafe.in/technical-articles/lfp-vs-nmc-detection-thresholds https://rorosafe.in/technical-articles/lfp-vs-nmc-detection-thresholds Sat, 11 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT LFP vents about a third the gas of NMC and burns far cooler, but proportionally richer in hydrogen. A detector tuned only on NMC under-warns on LFP. https://rorosafe.in/blogs/do-drencher-systems-stop-an-ev-deck-fire https://rorosafe.in/blogs/do-drencher-systems-stop-an-ev-deck-fire Fri, 10 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT Fixed water drencher and mist systems can't extinguish a sealed battery pack — but full-scale tests show a correctly run drencher contains an EV deck fire. https://rorosafe.in/blogs/is-battery-health-a-car-carriers-blind-spot https://rorosafe.in/blogs/is-battery-health-a-car-carriers-blind-spot Thu, 09 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT State-of-charge policy governs EV loading, but battery State of Health — how the cells aged — is a fire-risk axis no car-carrier manifest captures. https://rorosafe.in/blogs/should-evs-charge-on-a-passenger-ferry https://rorosafe.in/blogs/should-evs-charge-on-a-passenger-ferry Thu, 09 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT Denmark and operators like Havila restrict or ban EVs on passenger ferries. The real questions: onboard charging, and how low a state of charge is safe. https://rorosafe.in/technical-articles/imdg-code-2025-li-ion-class-9-implications https://rorosafe.in/technical-articles/imdg-code-2025-li-ion-class-9-implications Thu, 09 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT IMDG Code Amendment 42-24, mandatory 1 Jan 2026, gives EVs their own UN 3556 class and retires generic UN 3171 — changing how car carriers declare them. https://rorosafe.in/blogs/class-fire-notations-beyond-solas https://rorosafe.in/blogs/class-fire-notations-beyond-solas Wed, 08 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT SOLAS is the floor. Class notations like DNV's F-AMC and ClassNK's AFVC(FD)(EV) certify the early detection and evacuation owners add above it. https://rorosafe.in/blogs/can-a-car-carrier-fire-hit-the-p-and-i-pool https://rorosafe.in/blogs/can-a-car-carrier-fire-hit-the-p-and-i-pool Tue, 07 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT One car-carrier fire rarely breaks the reinsurance tower — but its wreck-removal and pollution tail climbs fast into the P&I pool every owner funds. https://rorosafe.in/blogs/is-wreck-removal-a-car-carriers-biggest-risk https://rorosafe.in/blogs/is-wreck-removal-a-car-carriers-biggest-risk Tue, 07 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT Under the Nairobi Convention, removing a wreck is strict-liability — and many states cap it at nothing. On Golden Ray it ran ~13x the hull value. https://rorosafe.in/blogs/the-fire-boundary-the-crew-couldnt-close https://rorosafe.in/blogs/the-fire-boundary-the-crew-couldnt-close Tue, 07 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT On the Grande Costa d'Avorio the crew couldn't seal the CO₂ zone — the door control sat inside it — so the fixed fire system was defeated. https://rorosafe.in/blogs/can-one-ev-fire-take-the-whole-car-deck https://rorosafe.in/blogs/can-one-ev-fire-take-the-whole-car-deck Mon, 06 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT Yes — radiant heat bridges car-to-car across a tightly packed deck, so an EV thermal runaway rarely stays one vehicle. Loss size is a spread problem. https://rorosafe.in/blogs/can-salvors-still-reach-a-car-carrier-fire https://rorosafe.in/blogs/can-salvors-still-reach-a-car-carrier-fire Mon, 06 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT Salvage capacity is shrinking as car-carrier fires rise, and mid-ocean the first firefighting tug can be days away — a widening response gap. https://rorosafe.in/case-studies/bench-rig-and-staged-test-program https://rorosafe.in/case-studies/bench-rig-and-staged-test-program Mon, 06 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT An 18-month bench rig, ~3,200 catalogued events, and staged thermal-vs-gas fusion trials — how detection is validated before it ever ships. https://rorosafe.in/case-studies/class-witnessed-test-program https://rorosafe.in/case-studies/class-witnessed-test-program Mon, 06 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT Class surveyors run the clock and judge against their own band. Two witnessed programs — 6/6 and 18/18 within band — earned type-approval and a notation. https://rorosafe.in/case-studies/fleet-rollout-console-and-training https://rorosafe.in/case-studies/fleet-rollout-console-and-training Mon, 06 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT Installing detection is half the job. The other half is a standardised bridge console and crew training the fleet trusts — the same trust-state everywhere. https://rorosafe.in/case-studies/insurer-and-pi-evaluation-program https://rorosafe.in/case-studies/insurer-and-pi-evaluation-program Mon, 06 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT Four insurance evaluations — hull underwriter, Lloyd's syndicate, P&I club, loss adjuster — tested whether the evidence holds up, not just the alarm. https://rorosafe.in/case-studies/shore-side-and-pre-loading-monitoring https://rorosafe.in/case-studies/shore-side-and-pre-loading-monitoring Mon, 06 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT Four shore-side pilots — OEM yard, port terminal, BMS-pull, battery warehouse — show detection catching EV faults before the cargo reaches a deck.