July 24, 2025: US shipping line Matson has confirmed its suspension of shipments of EVs amid rising concerns about fires sparked by lithium ion batteries.
Matson told Batteries International on July 23 it had written to customers on July 14 saying, effective immediately, it had ceased accepting new bookings for shipments of EVs and plug-in hybrid vehicles.
The company, a US owned and operated transportation services firm headquartered in Hawaii, said it would continue to support industry efforts to develop comprehensive standards and procedures to address fire risks posed by lithium batteries at sea.
However, Matson said it does not plan to resume shipping services for EVs until “appropriate safety solutions” that meet its requirements can be implemented.
The company said it provides a vital lifeline to the economies of Hawaii, Alaska, Guam, Micronesia, and the South Pacific and offers a “premium, expedited service” from China to Southern California. The company’s fleet of vessels includes container ships, combination containers, and roll-on/roll-off ships and barges.
Matson’s suspension announcement follows a string of global incidents in which fires broke out on vessels carrying EVs.
In 2022, a vessel carrying 4,000 vehicles sank in the Atlantic after a suspected EV battery fire and the ship’s owner said a year later it was likely never be recovered and the cause of the disaster would remain a mystery.
In March 2022, China called on the International Maritime Organization to consider a shake-up of maritime safety rules for EVs being shipped by sea, amid a rising tide of fires involving lithium ion batteries.
The following year, Norwegian shipping company, Havila Kystruten, announced it was banning electric cars, hybrids and hydrogen vehicles on its ferries because of potential fire hazards. This followed a risk analysis conducted by Proactima, a Norwegian risk management advisory consultancy, according to chief executive Bent Martini.
In a July 2023 report, Allianz Commercial said fires on vessels remained one of the biggest safety issues for the shipping industry.
