The lithium-ion battery-powered devices that fall through the regulatory cracks.
The maritime industry’s reliance on lithium-ion batteries spans from personal electronic devices (PEDs), such as phones, laptops, VHF/UHF radios and tablets, to systems integrated into vessel operations. Even each crew member carries between four to six devices. With such a prevalence, informed practices are needed to mitigate risks that they inherently carry.
Although lithium-ion batteries have brought transformative advantages, they also bring unprecedented hazards. The risks posed by thermal runaway, the chain reaction leading to uncontrollable battery fires, are worse when confined spaces magnify the danger.
“When the rechargeable Li-ion battery’s cathode and anode make contact due to damage to the internal barrier that separates them, a short circuit occurs, which results in the materials inside the cell starting to decompose,” says Giles Sedgman, head of yacht management, yacht services of Praxis Group. “These decomposition reactions generate relatively large amounts of heat, which is why the battery temperature quickly rises to the melting point of the metallic lithium, causing a violent self-heating chain reaction.”
It’s difficult to contain a lithium-ion fire because of the toxic gases that it emits and the amount of heat that comes off. “Once the fire starts, because the batteries are a series of cells, one cell might have a defect that causes the fire,” Sedgman says. “But as it gets hot, it then overheats the next one, so the only way really to deal with it is to cool the whole thing down and keep it cool, because as soon as it gets warm, it starts to chain reaction again.”
A single phone battery can fill a cargo-hold with toxic fumes in three minutes. Batteries can reach temperatures of 1,100°F within seconds. If the plan is to carry the device on deck and throw it overboard, the crew member should understand that if the device explodes, the shrapnel has more velocity than a 9mm bullet. While it behaves like a metal fire, using a Class D fire extinguisher will not be effective as the lithium inside the battery occurs as a salt and not as a metal, Sedgman explains.
One critical area has been raising awareness through training protocols, although not yet mandated by regulatory bodies. Incidents are becoming more frequent, yet response protocols remain outdated and nonexistent, especially in maritime.
Lithium Fire Guard (LFG) created a lightweight device capable of effectively containing fire. The PG-100 is the only UL5800-approved single-source containment system designed for PEDs, which are always carried but excluded from marine safety guidance. This compact device belongs in guest and crew areas and on the bridge, where risks from confined spaces are greatest once thermal runaway begins. Its marine-grade version MG-100 provides a fast, simple proven solution — containment.
Outside of emergencies, there is what underwriters call “risk fog” — near-miss events that go unreported because they didn’t quite reach the threshold of perceived danger.
Currently, there is no industry guidance on PED-related lithium battery incidents. The MCA’s MGN 681 addresses only “vehicle-type” batteries. Class societies often omit PEDs entirely. Yet, these are the very devices most likely to cause an incident, especially when used and charged in enclosed, poorly ventilated areas on board, such as guest and crew areas. With LFG’s solutions, crew can act swiftly and safely to address lithium battery risks by bridging the gap left by existing marine safety guidance. Advanced tools, like the PG-100 and MG-100, should be essential, indispensable parts of maritime protocols, not optional enhancements. LFG is also currently working on a Safe Charging Box and a Safe Storage Box.
A proactive approach has the potential to turn risk management from a reactive endeavor into a cornerstone of operational maritime excellence.