Problems of fire protection in the ro-ro space of roll-on/roll-off ships during an electric vehicle fire Part 1 Problem areas in fire protection of cargo decks of ro-ro ships in the context of an electric vehicle fire

The advancement of electric vehicles is linked to the increasing concern about the world’s oil resources running out and the problem of global climate change. As global sea trade keeps expanding quickly, the characteristics of ships also change, as they become bigger, carry more passengers, and new risky goods emerge, including, for example, electric vehicles. The article discusses challenges of preventing fires on ro-ro ships with regard to electric car fires, which are becoming more recognizable due to their increasing prevalence and consists of two parts. Part 1 covers some key challenges of fire safety on the cargo decks of ro-ro ships when an electric car catches fire and the main aspects of fire safety regulations for seagoing roll-on/roll-off ships in the ro-ro space. Problematic areas were considered in the following aspects: features of maritime transport, specifics of cargo carriage on a ro-ro vessel, the difficulty of evacuating sailors and passengers from a burning ship, specifics of firefighting on a ship, challenges and dangers of electric vehicle fires and lack of adequate fire protection and procedures on a ro-ro ship in terms of an electric car fire. The second part of this article presents some possible solutions to improve the fire safety of ro-ro ships, on cargo decks, and the author’s idea of implementing a new fire protection device consisting of fire ventilation. No other study has addressed fire safety challenges of ro-ro ships with such depth, especially given the emerging risk of electric cars.

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Opracowanie rekordu ze środków MNiSW, umowa nr POPUL/SP/0154/2024/02 w ramach programu "Społeczna odpowiedzialność nauki II" - moduł: Popularyzacja nauki (2025).