LISTEN: Poor Welds, Bad Lashing Caused Massive Batteries to Burst into Flames, Triggering Multiple Fires, $3.8 Million in Damage​

On Christmas morning in 2023, the cargo vessel Genius Star XI was on its way from Vietnam to California, navigating through heavy weather in the North Pacific Ocean while carrying massive lithium-ion batteries, when a fire broke out in the cargo hold. The crew put out the fire, but then, three days later, as the ship sought refuge at the nearest port in Dutch Harbor, Alaska, another fire started in a second cargo hold. The crew was able to fight the fire, and it was put out the next day. No one was injured, but the incidents aboard the 410-foot-long Genius Star XI caused some $3.8 million in property damage. According to a recent NTSB report, the probable cause of the two fires was improperly secured lashing belts.