Superyacht Near Miss Report Considers Battery Safety

Voluntary near-miss reporting scheme CHIRP Maritime has released its fifth edition of Superyacht FEEDBACK which covers the importance of minimising distractions on the bridge or in a tender – especially at night; the challenges posed by lithium ion batteries; and why even new-builds can suffer with safety issues (and how to spot them).

One of the reports covered involves a situation where the crew of a superyacht identified that one battery was significantly warmer than the other. After monitoring the situation, the master made the decision to dispose of the battery overboard as there was a suspected thermal run-away developing.

CHIRP’s analysis is that the master’s response was commendable and very professional, mitigating the potential of a severe fire on board the vessel.

Adam Parnell, Director (Maritime) at CHIRP, is keen to hear from readers about this and the other topics covered in the issue.

CHIRP’s independent, confidential incident and near-miss reporting program improves safety at sea for mariners worldwide by investigating every report and publishing anonymised findings to raise awareness of safety issues.