ClassNK has awarded its first-ever ‘AFVC’ notations to the LNG-fueled car carrier, ‘CERULEAN ACE,’ operated by Mitsui O.S.K. Lines and managed by MOL Ship Management.
As electric vehicles (EVs) become more common, their transportation poses unique challenges due to the heightened risk of fires that are difficult to extinguish and prone to re-ignition. In response, ClassNK developed guidelines for the safe transport of EVs and created the ‘AFVC’ notations, which identify ships equipped with advanced fire-fighting measures.
During the 2023 SAFETY4SEA Limassol Forum, Taslim Imad, Manager Loss Prevention Department at Steamship Mutual, explained that new electric vehicles are frequently placed in car carriers with bumper-to-bumper spacing of 30 centimeters and mirror-to-mirror spacing of only 10 centimeters. As a result, in a carrier with thousands of vehicles, accessing the car with thermal runaway would be very difficult if not impossible, particularly if it is located in the middle of a stow.
The ‘CERULEAN ACE’ has met the requirements for three of the five available notations: FD (Fire Detection), FF (Fire Fighting), and EFF (Enhanced Fixed Fire-extinguishing System). Notably, the FD notation was awarded due to a system that uses AI to detect anomalies in camera footage, alerting both onboard crew and onshore management to potential fires early.
