Major EV Fire Breaks Out Aboard Ro/Ro at Zeebrugge
CO2 flooding was used to put out the blaze, and more inert gas is being blown into the hold overnight
On Wednesday, a fire broke out aboard a ro/ro cargo ship at the port of Zeebrugge, Belgium, prompting an immediate - and successful - emergency response.
Ro/ro fires are a serious issue, and the growing popularity of electric cars has made the potential consequences more severe. Fires can spread rapidly within enclosed ro/ro decks, and EV fires are even harder to put out. New industry guidance calls for operators to respond with evacuation, ventilation shutdown and initiation of CO2 flooding very early in the firefighting process - before the fire can spread or injure anyone.
At about 1500 hours, a fire broke out aboard the ro/ro cargo vessel Delphine at the CLdN terminal in Zeebrugge. The blaze started on the third deck, which contained 60 electric vehicles and 40 conventional cars. The captain opted to fully evacuate the ship's 26-member crew, but stayed aboard to coordinate as firefighters and other first responders from shore came aboard to assist. Four firefighting tugs also arrived on scene to provide cooling water on the starboard side.
Forse brandweerinzet in haven van Zeebrugge. Er woedt brand op een schip met o.a. elektrische auto’s.
— Aart van Oosten (@yellow_flame) April 16, 2025
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To defeat the fire, the master ordered the space closed off and the CO2 system was activated. The fire suppression system worked as designed, and the fire was brought under control, according to port vice-chairman Dirk de Fauw. "There was a lot of smoke from the electric cars, which also made the extinguishing work more difficult," he said.
The fire department is aware of the possibility of a reflash and is standing by overnight, de Fauw told local VRT. The fire department said in a statement that it was trucking in a fresh supply of inert gas to release into the hold in order to displace any intrusion of oxygen.
"The vehicles are no longer burning, but as soon as fresh air comes onto the deck we will have a resurgence," the brigade told HLN. "We have to avoid that. For that reason, we will blow nitrogen into the deck that we will have brought over from Antwerp. Although it is still not certain that the situation will be under control."
Responders believe that 60-70 vehicles in the hold have burned out, but the full extent of the damage remains to be seen. No injuries or pollution have been reported, and containment barriers have been deployed to keep any contaminants from spreading.
Top image: Port of Zeebrugge (Sebaso / CC BY 4.0)
