Fire on safari boat Suzana in Egypt (Red Sea Aggressor)

[KevinNM]

I would suggest something other then aluminum, something that won't dump flaming debris all over the deck once you get a fire going on top of it.

 

[Altamira]

A friend of mine is on an lob in Red Sea as we speak. We've had some contact by WhatsApp.

To my knowledge my friend is not aware of the fire. I haven't brought it up even though I very much would like to do that. When the trip is over, I will then. I don't like to stress people when they are going to dive.
A rock and a hard place.

Such psychology may be a bit of a problem for the lob companies as well. While on the one hand they want to reassure their guests, on the other hand that very reassurance may remind guests that perhaps they would rather vacation ashore.

Hopefully your friend is aware of other shipboard fires such as occurred on the Concepcion, and has given some serious thought to the "what ifs" that could occur on any vessel. And more importantly has thoroughly investigated every possible emergency egress route and the functionality of the ship's safety/fire suppression equipment. Knowledge is a good thing: Ignorance, not so much.

 

[dmaziuk]

I'd be very interested to see a test with 4 to 8 batteries of 18650 size inside even a 1/16" (2mm) thick 16" (40cm) per side aluminum box. Five closed sides and weighted welding blanket over the front. Short one and see what happens.

Probably nothing: 18650s tend to be pretty safe anyway. Once go to video light/strobe/can light packs and up to scooter batteries, that can get more interesting.

LiPO charging bags are fabric, actually. A layer of that, and keep it away from gasoline-soaked tinder, is all you need really. For a charging table, that is.

Loose/oxidized contacts that may be sparking and heating up anywhere between the generators and that charging table are another story.

 

[Mike Walker]

I would suggest something other then aluminum, something that won't dump flaming debris all over the deck once you get a fire going on top of it.

The top Youtube contenders for '18650 explosion' tend to show a quick pop/bang; less than 0.5second of flame and mostly just a bunch of shrapnel small enough that it would cool rapidly on its own. Even with a handful of them I doubt the energy is intense enough for long enough to affect even thin aluminum.

***Of course, what I'm advocating for is some testing and investigation - I think my post makes that clear. Don't start welding up some shelves based on my assumptions.***

But it seems like the general perception is that a dive boat solution needs to deal with a burning Tesla and that is not the case. Practically we're talking about 1/1000 of a Tesla and with plenty of room for energy to vent, bounce around and dissipate before it becomes a molten pile.

The important thing here is the cubbies limiting the number of affected batteries in any one incident - I've arbitrarily picked 8 as a good starting point. And, secondly, limiting other things that could ignite in close proximity (towels, unnecessary plastic, etc.) that would burn for long enough to weaken aluminum or ignite wood. Weight/cost being no object then by all means use 3/8" or 1/4" steel plate and be absolutely certain - but I think it's more important to get a cheaper lighter solution out there on more boats even if it is only a 99% solution. I suspect that testing will show a much lighter duty solution than any of us would expect to be surprisingly effective.

Once go to video light/strobe/can light packs and up to scooter batteries, that can get more interesting.

Good point - but not everyone is carrying those. Maybe a few larger, more robust compartments for them. Or, as you say, specialty bags. And even the larger video batteries are starting to be just assemblies of 18650 or similar cells these days....

 

[KevinNM]

Here’s an LI battery fire.
Watch this recalled laptop set an entire room on fire

 

[HalcyonDaze]

Here’s an LI battery fire.
Watch this recalled laptop set an entire room on fire

I think what impresses me as much as the initial flare-up on that one is how quickly the room fills up with smoke. Based on the NTSB's preliminary statement on the Conception investigation, those belowdecks died of smoke inhalation rather than burns. Anyone know how nasty a lungful of that stuff would be?

 

[Dan]

A couple of our club members will be on RSA2 in two weeks.

I just checked my email & received this:

"Greetings from Aggressor Adventures.

We were just notified that there has been a change in the replacement yacht starting with charters from November 16 - Dec 31, 2019. The replacement yacht will be the Scuba Scene. The Aggressor yacht owner feels this yacht's layout is a better option and is more well suited for Aggressor guests. Please find more information by going to:

Scuba Scene
The charter itinerary will stay the same. The staterooms and layout of the yacht will be comparable to the Red Sea Aggressor and the courses and rental equipment requests will be provided as requested. The chef and some of the staff from the Red Sea Aggressor will also be on board to ensure your trip will be to the Aggressor standards...."

So it looks like RSA1 was the boat that I was supposed to be on, not RSA2 LOL.

Has anyone here been on Scuba Scene yacht?

 

[DandyDon]

The chef and some of the staff from the Red Sea Aggressor will also be on board to ensure your trip will be to the Aggressor standards.

Direct contact with eye witnesses. I am a little surprised that you still plan to go.

 

[Mike Walker]

Here’s an LI battery fire.
Watch this recalled laptop set an entire room on fire

And here's one in a moderately contained environment without other flammable materials around:
Big bang, short duration. So long as the shrapnel is contained and nothing else is present to catch fire I'm still betting on 1/16" Aluminum or Solid Wood.

Whomever noted earlier in the thread the problem of the towels and such around the charging table I think really nailed it. That is what is turning a short event into a much bigger disaster. The same in the laptop video - the laptop doesn't cause the room to ignite, it's just the first spark. It's everything around it that escalates towards the final result.

We need solutions that boats all over the world, no matter how limited their budget or lax their regulations, will implement. We need those things happening now. Crew takes time to hire; electronics and wiring take skill and time to install. Gluing some metal from the local fabricator into existing cabinets takes a couple hundred dollars and an afternoon. Do some testing - that might just be enough.

Long term - boats designed to fully and safely accommodate modern equipment would be ideal. Short term - I'll take what I can get.

[And, continuing disclaimer... we don't yet know that batteries or charging was the source of the RSA1 fire]

 

[Anthias]

I'm not disputing this thread or anything. But I do want to mention that the camera/charging table on the RSA 1 was on the dive deck, not in the salon, and the dive deck was not on fire when people escaped from below - according to at least one witness' report. Nothing on the dive deck was on fire until a crew member opened the door to the salon to try to fight the fire. That is when it jumped to the dive deck.

So though I do think this is an great conversation to be having with some really good ideas, I just would like to be clear that at this time, there is no evidence that the fire started at that location.

BUT, there were plugs in the salon and dining room and many people had phones, laptops, and some battery charging in there. So in that location, this discussion is completely relevant. Maybe with all these ideas, it needs to be added that all charging takes place in one area. That has some of these protections you are talking about. But no where else overnight. No where.