The international shipping and materials handling industries continue to grow exponentially, due to new ports and terminals being built globally. This is seeing operations and vehicle technology evolve rapidly, and understanding the new fire risks associated with this has never been more important.
Holger Pfriem, business manager – Asia and Australasia, Dafo Vehicle Fire Protection, and CEO for Dafo Asia discusses the rising fire risks associated with the industries’ technological development and explores how understanding these risks can help to reduce costs, protect lives and minimise downtime.
Protecting material handling at ports has never been more important, with 90% of global trade currently being transported by ocean shipping. With the number of containers shipped per year estimated at over 200 million, minimising downtime is essential to maximise efficiency and meet tight deadlines.
However, as vehicle technology at ports evolves, fire risks are increasing. If not controlled, these risks have the potential to bring about increased downtime and even the suspension of transportation of certain goods. For example, the busiest container port in the world, the Port of Shanghai, was recently suspended from transporting high-risk goods by the Shanghai authorities for two weeks following a fire, affecting supply chains and profits.
An evolving industry
During the height of the coronavirus pandemic, the international shipping industry continued to operate. However, keeping individual workers safe from COVID-19 became an urgent priority – which fast-tracked the adoption of automated vehicles. The modern technology associated with automation enabled a large portion of the workforce to work from home or at remote workstations, where they were able to continue work and stay safe from COVID-19.
Although the world has since returned to work, automated vehicles in ports are here to stay – with a combination of automated cranes and automated port vehicles now commonplace for many port businesses. However, with maximising uptime a key priority for working to tight schedules, understanding this new technology to address its associated risks is paramount.
Against this autonomous backdrop is the global electrification of vehicles and machinery, as many port operators shift from traditional combustion engines to modern hybrid, as well as fully electric, motors.
Recognising rising risks
Although these developments are helping the sector to advance, it’s also important to consider the new risks brought about by electrification and automation to maintain high safety standards while minimising downtime.
Whenever you introduce new technology to your operations, the risks of your site will change – so you first need to gain a new understanding of these.
The introduction of autonomous and electric vehicles has the potential to introduce a range of different risks, including:
- Increased response time
As the number of autonomous vehicles on site increases, where drivers are in remote workspaces, there will be a reduced number of staff on site at any given time. This increases fire risks as there are less people to manually detect a fire should it occur, for example by seeing or smelling smoke.
In turn, this can cause significant delays in the activation of manual fire suppression systems, if such is being used, exacerbating damage caused and safety risks. Although drivers may be able to activate the system remotely, it’s important to consider that there will still be a delay in system activation, as the vehicle needs to communicate with the operator, who will then communicate back to the vehicle to activate the appropriate suppression technique.
This increased response time can mean a fire is more likely to take hold, causing greater safety risks, more extensive vehicle damage and increasing the likelihood of operational downtime.
2. Increased number of li-ion batteries
The worldwide shift to electric vehicles is seeing an increased number of lithium-ion (li-ion) batteries in ports and other high risk environments. These batteries are rechargeable, where lithium ions move between negative and positive electrodes to create sustainable energy.
Although a much more sustainable energy source, these batteries also bring about new fire risks. Due to the large amount of energy stored in li-ion batteries, increased heat, mechanical failure, physical damage or overcharging can cause an internal short circuit, which in turn can lead to a process called thermal runaway.
Thermal runaway is an extremely dangerous state, which can lead to toxic gas emissions, in addition to large explosions, if not controlled quickly. In this state, a battery is able to produce its own source of oxygen, reducing the effectiveness of traditional suppression techniques.
Protecting operations
As the material handling industry evolves and risks change, protecting your site to ensure maximum safety and minimal downtime is key. To fully understand your site, you can use the following steps:
- Update your risk assessment map
Prior to considering how you might change your fire suppression systems, you should create a risk assessment map. This will include sources of fire, routes for emergency, where current firefighting equipment is and how emergency services will enter your site.
It’s likely your site will already have one of these maps, but it’s important to update this as you acquire new equipment or machinery, as it will help you to identify specific areas of risk and consider how you can make the area safer.
- Choose your equipment
If you’re protecting new, autonomous vehicles, automatic detection and activation is extremely important to ensure fires are controlled quickly and safely. It’s important to ensure the system you choose is a good match for the vehicle its being used on to reduce false activations and unnecessary downtime.
If you’re protecting electric vehicles, it’s also important to consider the battery chemistry, so you’re aware of the potential risks and the necessary fire suppression system to address these. For example, the Research Institutes of Sweden (RISE) and Dafo Vehicle Fire Protection found that an early fire warning system and spot cooling is an effective way to prevent a li-ion battery from reaching thermal runaway.
- Consider your site as a whole
Although protecting new technology is important, you shouldn’t disregard your older, traditional combustion vehicles. The risks are different, and still need to be addressed in your fire protection solution as they can cause extended downtime should they catch fire, affecting schedules and profit margins.
Installing fire detection and suppression equipment is the first step in increasing the safety of your site. To ensure it’s effective, take the time to train personnel – those working on site and remotely – in how to act in the case of an autonomous vehicle fire, an electric vehicle fire and a traditional combustion engine fire. This will ensure their personal safety and the safety of the site and its equipment.
As the port industry continues to evolve, it’s important to fully understand the fire risks brought about by new technology to ensure site operations can continue effectively, with maximum safety and minimal downtime.
Author of the article:
Holger Pfriem, business manager – Asia and Australasia, Dafo Vehicle Fire Protection, and CEO for Dafo Asia
