Firefighters are warning Australians of the dangers of lithium battery fires as they respond to daily call-outs.
Fire crews are noting a spate of explosions caused by lithium batteries found in e-scooters and e-bikes – and it could even happen when they’re being shipped to shops.
“The fires we’re encountering almost on a daily basis are from our smaller e-scooters, e-bikes type of batteries,” Darren Mallouk from Queensland Fire Department’s Investigation Unit told 9News.
When thousands of the batteries are packed like sardines and shipped to Australian customer and shops, the risk is even greater.
Mike Gallagher, CEO of Ports Australia, said ship fires caused by these flammable batteries were virtually impossible to safely put out.
“They are packed like sardines inside a tin, except these are very dangerous sardines,” he said.
“You can’t put them out. So you can imagine it on the street if you can’t put them out, imagine them on a vessel out at sea or in a port.”
Ships are the most common ways electric bikes and scooters are being transported to Australian shores.
In 2022, a cargo ship carrying luxury vehicles including EVs sunk to the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean.
Last year, a fire on the Fremantle Highway ship led to the death of a crew member.
Captain Adrian Scales, who specialises in electric vehicle carriage, responded to that blaze.
“The ship’s crew couldn’t actually fight fires from thereafter, and [it] actually prevented them getting back to the lifeboat,” Scales said.
There are growing concerns across the globe about the dangers of EV fires on ships, but right now there are no formal safety regulations or protocols detailing how to deal with them when they happen.
Mark Morrow from the Australian Maritime Safety Authority said action must be taken soon.
“It could happen in a port today in Brisbane,” he warned.
“We need to get some plans in place quickly, even if it’s just what’s the initial response? How do we manage that?
“And then take it somewhere and let it burn. That probably is what the response is going to be.”
A summit in Brisbane is being held will see experts gather to formulate a plan to fix the ship fire epidemic.
