MCA issues safety bulletin about Lithium Storage Solutions Ltd
The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) has released a safety bulletin regarding Lithium Storage Solutions.
The safety statement issued by the MCA reads: “As the UK market surveillance authority for marine equipment, [the MCA] is aware that Lithium Storage Solutions Ltd claim on their website that their product, the Lithium Safety Store is ‘fully compliant with MGN 681 (M), fire safety and storage of small electric powered craft on yachts, section 4 storage and charging’ and also claims ‘fully certified for sea and air transport and storage’ under MGN 681.”
The MCA has directed Lithium Storage Solutions Ltd to remove these claims from its website and any associated marketing material as it could be misleading to consumers.
MGN 681 (M), fire safety and storage of small electric-powered craft on yachts, requires powered personal watercraft and lithium-ion batteries to be stored in a space that complies with the Red Ensign Group (REG) Yacht code Part A, 14A.1 and 14A.2, and details a number of requirements for the space in which any battery is stored or charged including boundary insulation and fire protection. Although Lithium Storage Solution Ltd’s, Lithium Safety Store may comply with some elements of the requirements, it is not able to fully comply with all the requirements detailed in MGN 681 and the REG Yacht Code Part A, which could be misleading to consumers.
| Affected products include | |
|---|---|
| LF18 | L430xW330xH280mm / 18 litres |
| LF120 | L680xW530xH535mm / 120 litres |
| LF335 | L1330xW605xH592mm / 335 litres |
| LF335-CF | L1330xW505xH592 / 335 litres |
According to Lithium Storage Solutions Ltd’s website, the Lithium Safety Store has been designed to ‘prevent an uncontrolled fire caused by the thermal runaway during charging, or from damaged, degraded, old, or poorly manufactured lithium batteries, whilst also providing a safe space to store other hazardous materials such as fuel, flares, gas canisters and other combustible liquids and materials’.
The storage of lithium ion batteries has hit the headlines in the marine industry as lithium ion batteries have been the cause of or linked to several yacht fires in recent years and improper storage linked to issues onboard.
The MCA says as there is currently no international agreed standard required for these types of products, any certification claimed by a manufacturer should be viewed with caution. Prospective purchasers and users of these products are advised that Lithium Storage Solutions Ltd does not hold any UK Marine equipment certification for these products.
Potential customers are advised to ensure that their onboard procedures for the storage of lithium-ion batteries are fully compliant with MGN 681, of which a storage container such as the one listed above may be part.
