Lithium batteries eyed in Coron ferry fire

MANILA, Philippines — The Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA) has blamed lithium batteries for a fire that struck the motor vessel June Aster in the waters off Coron, Palawan last month.

MARINA maritime safety investigation chief Luisito delos Santos said the agency has completed investigating the incident.

Delos Santos said that lithium-ion batteries spark when coming into contact with salt water.

“That is one of our strongest theories. The batteries interacted with salt water and sparked the fire,” he said.

Early reports said that an explosion occurred in the cargo hold of the ferry before the fire broke out.

Delos Santos said the MARINA probe team discovered rechargeable batteries for solar panels as well as electric vehicles or EVs and paint thinners in the cargo hold.

“This is understandable as some people have shifted to alternative sources of energy like solar power,” Delos Santos said, referring to solar panel batteries.

He said further investigation and forensic examinations are needed to confirm reports that the fire was caused by the EVs.

“But we must consider that EVs are transported to the Philippines from other countries through seagoing vessels. So far, there has been no report of any maritime incident involving transport of EVs,” Delos Santos said.

He confirmed a statement issued earlier by MARINA-Region IV chief Maximo Bañares that flammable cargo sparked the fire on June Aster.

Records showed 77 died, while 43 survived in the incident that occurred on Sept. 9. Eight others remain missing.

The probe team said it was possible that the ferry was carrying gasoline, but did not declare it.

“We will continue to investigate beyond the result of our maritime safety investigation,” Delos Santos said.

He said probers discovered that some cargos were not properly stored in the cargo hold.

“Break bulk cargos ­or those that were placed in plastic bags and baskets, and stowed in different parts of the ship may contain flammable and corrosive materials including lithium-ion batteries that can be purchased from online stores,” Delos Santos said.