In the wake of recent incidents of fire on RoRo vessels carrying vehicles, ABS has responded to industry concerns with an update to its Rules addressing electric vehicles on board.
The culmination of more than a year of work with leading industry expertise including RoRo operators, ABS has introduced new requirements within its Marine Vessel Rules. These requirements include supplemental fire detection, alarms, and firefighting equipment as well as provisions associated with vehicle recharging.
ABS is the first Classification organization to adapt its rules to account for the specific challenges presented by increasing volumes of battery-operated vehicles transported by sea.
The new updated Rules build on ABS’ industry-leading experience in addressing firefighting and safety systems of cargo holds of container vessels, and also the location of a series of high-profile fires onboard. The ABS Guide for Fire-Fighting Systems for Cargo Areas of Container Carriers was the industry’s first guidance on tackling the issue.