The major fire on the freighter Fremantle Highway could have been prevented with the right extinguishing system on board, at least claims Cor Meedendorp, director of FIFI4MARINE. His company specialises in fighting lithium fires on board ships. The company is now also starting to install extinguishing systems in car parks, where electric cars are parked and charged.
According to the lithium expert, large investments are needed to make cargo ships fire-safe. "And the one who decides is usually not the technician, that's the one behind the calculator," Meedendorp argues. "If you have 50 or 100 ships as a shipping company and you have to start investing EUR 2 to 3 million per ship to install another extinguishing system, it is often more advantageous to keep your insurance premium a bit higher. And 'just' accept that once every 10 years one of your ships burns down," he continues.
FIFI4MARINE, based in Zwaag, Noord-Holland, started developing an automated, unmanned extinguishing system seven years ago. "The system reacts immediately after detecting gas and temperature. The fire is extinguished before it can develop with a biological foam. It gives no contamination or corrosion, it is PFAS-free and no toxic fumes are released. You intervene before the fire develops to an uncontrollable level," states the founder. The stuff, which resembles shaving foam, is moved through pipes to where it is needed. According to Meedendorp, the Netherlands is "a bit averse" to the use of foam because until now it has all been very chemical and harmful to the environment.
Especially in car parks
Meanwhile, FIFI4MARINE has equipped around 20 ocean-going vessels and luxury yachts with its extinguishing systems. Nine of these are so-called ro-ro ships of the Italian shipping company Grimaldi. "Number 10 and 11 are now in production," he said. The company is now also going to install the systems in car parks. "We are working on a large project in Rotterdam and we are in talks about a car park in The Hague," says Grimaldi. Fire Brigade Netherlands recently voiced concerns about fires in electric cars, which are hardly extinguishable. This is especially a problem in parking garages.
Cooperation necessary
According to Meedendorp, this can be solved. "By monitoring 24/7, we can take immediate action unmanned. With sensors connected to our monitoring systems, we know exactly what is happening in which car park. In case of fire, we also activate the two adjacent spots. We then apply foam very briefly to ensure that flames from the first car do not spread. "With the help of the fire brigade, the vehicle can then be brought out on a special roller system or via the automatic parking system." FIFI4MARINE stresses that cooperation with the Fire Service is necessary. Source: ANP
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