MSN "Late last month, the Fremantle Highway, a cargo ship carrying new vehicles destined for Singapore, was destroyed in a horrific fire that claimed the life of a crew member and injured many more.
"New images have surfaced on the internet, giving us an inside look at the destruction the blaze left in its wake. Below, we can see several vehicles reduced to ash and burnt metal. Based on the roofline and remnants of the rear-mounted engine, the cars in the foreground appear to be Porsche 911s.
"Further back, a Porsche Taycan was also lost in the fire. While we can't be sure, the hood and body shape suggests it was once an example of Zuffenhausen's electric sedan. Another image shows the incinerated shells of Mini Cooper Hardtop 5-Door models." . . .
"RTL Nieuws, a Dutch news agency, also shared additional pictures of a charred Mini Cooper Clubman." . . .
. . ."Once ignited, a lithium-ion battery is incredibly difficult to extinguish. At first, fire damages the structures that separate the chemicals that power a battery. This often leads to spontaneous re-ignition even after the initial blaze is out. Hundreds of gallons of water are often required, and once the initial fire is out, standard procedure is to quarantine the affected vehicle away from anything flammable, applying more water or fire suppressant as needed. Fire crews sometimes place a burning battery inside a giant water tank until the re-ignition risk subsides.
"Neither option is viable on a crowded transport ship. Even if you had a dunk tank or were willing to deal with the environmental consequences of throwing the vehicle overboard, there's usually no way to maneuver or eject the cargo on a ship en-route. Burning cars weighing thousands of pounds and spewing toxic fumes would prove even more difficult to handle." . . .
