BRUNSWICK, USA – US Coast Guard members and federal, regional, state, local, and industry partners conducted an exercise designed to enhance coordination in response to vessel fires caused by electric vehicle (EV) lithium-ion batteries, September 24-25.
The exercise, hosted by Coast Guard Marine Safety Unit Savannah, allowed the Coast Guard and partner agencies to validate the Coastal Georgia Area Contingency Plan (ACP), which follows the National Preparedness and Response Exercise Program (NPREP). The incident scenario focused on a simulated EV fire onboard the American Roll-On Roll-Off Carrier (ARC) Integrity, docked at Georgia Ports Authority’s Colonel’s Island Terminal.
“People and partnerships are vitally important to the resiliency of the marine transportation system,” said Cmdr. Nathaniel Robinson, commanding officer of Marine Safety Unit Savannah and Captain of the Port. “Exercises such as these help first responders understand their various roles and responsibilities throughout complex emergencies within the maritime environment and foster unity of effort, collaboration, and coordination.”
Several federal, state, and local partner agencies, along with ARC, Gallagher Marine Systems, and Georgia Ports Authority (GPA), collaborated to discuss and evaluate response actions in the event of a lithium-ion battery fire onboard a commercial vessel. Notably, between August and September, ARC provided more than 100 local firefighters with familiarization tours of their vessels while in the Port of Brunswick as part of a more significant regional preparedness effort.
“ARC and GPA have been tremendous partners throughout the planning of the EV lithium-ion battery fire exercise,” said Robinson. “The exercise took more than seven months to plan, and the lessons learned will be invaluable in updating Coastal Georgia’s ACP and informing contingency plan updates of our partner agencies; as the global demand for electric vehicles increases, so does the risk of lithium-ion batteries fires in the marine environment.”
By simulating real-world scenarios to verify adequate response equipment and local firefighting capabilities, the Coast Guard and stakeholders are better positioned to protect the safety of the public, the environment, and the maritime transportation system to ensure uninterrupted flow of commerce through economically vital ports in Georgia.
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