Lithium Battery Fire Safety on Boats
Understand thermal runaway warning signs, toxic smoke, emergency isolation and fire planning for lithium batteries aboard boats.
Warning signs include extreme heat, swelling, smoke, popping, hissing, sharp chemical odour, vapour and rapid temperature rise.
Immediate priorities
- Protect people.
- Avoid breathing smoke or vapour.
- Raise the alarm.
- Isolate electrical sources only if it is safe to do so.
- Call emergency services where available.
- Follow the battery and vessel emergency procedure.
Fire and Rescue NSW warns that lithium-ion battery fires can produce toxic and flammable gases and can reignite after visible flame has stopped.
Marine-specific planning should consider battery compartment location, heat/smoke detection, access, fire containment, escape route, emergency isolation, remote shutdown, ventilation and firefighting equipment suited to the vessel.
Diagnose before replacing parts
A shutdown or low-output symptom can begin in the battery, charging source, protection, cable path, monitor configuration or the load itself. Record evidence before resetting equipment so the original cause is not lost.
- Capture alarms, BMS history, state of charge, voltage at the battery and voltage at the affected equipment.
- Inspect for heat, looseness, corrosion, damage or water ingress before attempting another high-current test.
- Stop and isolate the system if there is swelling, unusual heat, odour, smoke, damaged cabling or repeated protection operation.