In recent years, multiple fire accidents on Roll-on/Roll-off (Ro-Ro) vessels caused by thermal runaway of electric vehicle (EV) batteries have severely impacted waterborne traffic safety, posing significant risks to the vessels, personnel, and vehicles being transported. This has become a major focus of industry concern. To enhance the safety standards for transporting new energy vehicles (NEVs) on ships and facilitate the shift towards proactive prevention in maritime safety, the China Classification Society (CCS), in collaboration with the State Key Laboratory of Fire Safety at the University of Science and Technology of China, has conducted experimental research on full-scale NEV fires under simulated Ro-Ro vessel conditions.

Guided by the Department of Technologyand & Information and the Digital Transformation Implementation Office, the experiments were executed by the Technology Research and Development Center, with the Shanghai Rules and Research Institute and the Wuhan Rules and Research Institute jointly participating in formulating the experimental plans.

The experiments were conducted in three phases. Heat release rate experiments for lithium iron phosphate (LFP) and nickel manganese cobalt (NMC) lithium-ion battery EVs were performed using a calorimetry test bench. Subsequently, a full-scale fire experiment involving an NMC battery EV was carried out in a semi-enclosed environment simulating a Ro-Ro vessel's car deck.

Given that fire safety during the transport of NEVs on Ro-Ro vessels is a critical concern for both national authorities and the industry, related parties were invited to witness the full-scale fire experiment on-site, which included the Maritime Safety Administration (MSA) of the Ministry of Transport, COSCO SHIPPING Specialized Carriers Co., Ltd., SAIC Anji Logistics Co., Ltd, Bohai Ferry Group Co., Ltd., Guangzhou Shipyard International Co., Ltd., Shanghai Merchant Ship Design and Research Institute (SDARI), Shenzhen BYD Battery Co., Ltd., and Tianjin Fire Science and Technology Research Institute of the Ministry of Emergency Management.

Through these three experiments, CCS observed the complete fire progression following thermal runaway in NEV batteries and measured a series of critical fire parameters. This work provides foundational data and technical support for research into the safety issues surrounding NEV transport on Ro-Ro vessels. It also makes a solid step towards improving safety standards for this mode of transportation.