Responding to vehicle fires onboard vessels is both dangerous and challenging. These new guidelines by the Vehicle Carrier Safety Forum have been designed to reduce the risk to the safety of crews, passengers, the environment, the vessel and the cargo.
New guidance on fire response onboard vehicle carriers
Published 24 April 2025
The guideline’s sole aim is to assist vessel operators and crews to be better prepared to meet the challenges presented by vehicle fires, both internal combustion engine vehicles (ICE) and vehicles fully or partly powered by lithium ion batteries. They are intended to be used by vessel operators when considering their own fire response policies and procedures, with a particular emphasis on using existing fixed firefighting systems to control vehicle fires early in their development.
The Vehicle Carrier Safety Forum Fire Response – High Level Guidelines are supported by industry bodies; the International Group of P&I Clubs, the International Chamber of Shipping and the TT Club.
Click here to download the Vehicle Carrier Safety Forum Fire Response – High Level Guidelines.
This is the second industry good practice guideline published by the Vehicle Carrier Safety Forum. In March 2024, the Forum announced its first guidelines, Common Guidance on Vehicle Loading and Presentation. They seek to reduce the risks associated with the shipment of unaccompanied vehicles, including electric and hybrid vehicles, while also promoting the safety of terminal and vessel personnel and the protection of property, including the vessel itself.
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