As electric vehicle (EV) related fires continue to challenge the maritime industry – with incidents like the Morning Midas blaze in the North Pacific – operators are urgently seeking more effective solutions. A new brine-based firefighting system, developed by Skansi Offshore in close cooperation with Knud E. Hansen, now offers a simple, robust and environmentally responsible answer.
The system is operational aboard Norrøna, sailing the world’s longest RoPAX route, and is scheduled for installation on two new RoRo vessels under construction.
Also read: Fire Morning Midas continues, salvage plan in the works
Brine system targets battery from the inside
Unlike traditional fire suppression methods – which act from the outside and often fail to extinguish the core fire – the brine system targets the battery directly from inside the vehicle. In the event of a fire, one window is penetrated, and cold, saturated brine is delivered directly into the cabin. This allows the fluid to pool around the battery compartment, rapidly cooling the cells, limiting oxygen exposure, suppressing flammable materials, and even short-circuiting and depowering the battery.
‘We believe this system sets a new standard,’ says Finn Wollesen, Managing Director, Knud E. Hansen USA Inc. ‘It’s low-tech in the best way – reliable, proven, and easily maintainable. Most importantly, it addresses the real issue: Heat – not just the flames, but the fire inside the battery.’
Also read: Knud E. Hansen presents CO2 tanker design
Breaking the thermal runaway process
In a full-scale fire test conducted in the Faroe Islands, the system extinguished a fully developed EV fire in under one hour, including response times and so on. In contrast, lithium-ion battery fires often burn for 24 hours or more when left to self-extinguish, and can reignite multiple times.
Frederik Jonassen, Lead Engineer, Brine System: ‘Most systems act externally. Ours delivers cold brine inside the car, as close to the battery pack as possible. It cools, displaces flammable gases, and helps short-circuit and depower the battery. The high salinity also absorbs heat efficiently and limits fire spread. It’s an elegant way to break the thermal runaway process before it escalates.’
Also read: Which factors play a role in rising number of ship fires?
Key advantages
The key advantages of the brine-based system are:
- Direct internal cooling of the EV – not just external suppression.
- Prevents thermal runaway by targeting heat at the source.
- Short-circuits and depowers the battery.
- Uses only natural ingredients: salt and water.
- No toxins, no pressure, no chemical residues.
- Compatible with standard fire hoses and couplings.
- Cost-effective, refillable, and environmentally friendly.
- Can be retrofitted on existing RoRo and RoPAX vessels with minimal modification.
The system consists of a:
- 16-m3 pre-cooled brine tank (–19 °C).
- Redundant pump system (circulation + discharge).
- Heat exchanger connected to vessel’s refrigeration system.
- Fire hydrants located on EV deck.
- Integrated with ship automation and control (PLC, HMI).
This brine system represents a new direction in maritime fire safety – addressing the source, not just the symptoms, with a scalable, proven and environmentally safe technology.
Also read: Blanket and extinguisher system can tackle battery fires on ships
