CO2 and closed vents used by ship crew to oxygen starve fire in 2000 tons of lithium-ion batteries on cargo ship
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A fire that broke out on a cargo ship travelling the coast of Alaska December 28, 2023, was ordered to head for Dutch Harbour, with fire on board in 2000 tons of lithium-ion batteries.
The ship was located about 362 kilometres southwest of Dutch Harbor, Alaska, when the fire was reported early Thursday morning on December 26, the coast guard said in a release.
The U.S. Coast Guard said there were no injuries to the 19 crew members aboard the vessel, Genius Star XI, and that it remained seaworthy, reports NYTimes.com.
The exact cause of the fire was not known and remains under investigation. What appears clear is that the fire broke out in cargo holds where lithium-ion batteries were being stored.
A fire occurred in two separate cargo holds, said Lt. Cmdr. Michael Salerno, a spokesman for the 17th Coast Guard District.
Firefighting systems on the vessel was able to extinguish one of the fires, according to the NYTimes article. Members of the crew sealed off the other cargo hold and were taking temperature readings, which were normal as of Saturday, Commander Salerno said.
Initially the Coast Guard ordered the vessel to remain offshore, about two miles, from Dutch Harbor, Alaska, and officials established a one-mile safety zone around the vessel during the response.
The U.S. Coast Guard said on Friday December 29th the fire was contained but ongoing. The 125-metre cargo ship Genius Star XI was directed to continue to the port at Dutch Harbor, Alaska.
The e-mail from the owners, Wisdom Marine Group of Taipei, according to a CTV article, says about the response that the crew members released carbon dioxide into the hold when the fire was detected on Monday.
The email said: "Concerned about the potential risk of explosion, the hold was kept sealed," and added that crew had been monitoring the hold vents and temperatures.
There were no signs of heat damage outside the cargo hold, and the authorities continued to monitor the temperature.
The Genius Star XI left Vietnam on Dec. 10 en route to Dutch Harbor, according to the Marine Traffic website. The ship with a carrying capacity of more than 13,000 tons (11,793 metric tonnes) sails under the flag of Panama.
Photo Credit: An IR image of the Genius Star XI, which was carrying nearly 2,000 tons of lithium-ion batteries. The image shows heat signatures from the engine room and exhaust chimney. Photo Credit: U.S. Coast Guard