Thai electric ferry suffers onboard fire while under construction

An electric commuter ferry caught fire while it was at berth on the Chao Phraya River in central Thailand’s Samut Prakan province on Tuesday, February 21.

The incident involving the ferry owned by local operator Energy Absolute occurred at around 07:20 local time on Tuesday when a blaze ignited on the vessel’s second deck.

The fire then spread to several boats that were berthed at the same pier, which also had shore charging equipment for battery-powered vessels.

Responding firefighting teams were able to extinguish the blaze within 30 minutes. No injuries have been reported.

In a statement, Energy Absolute clarified that the ferry was still under construction and awaiting delivery. The vessel itself was not connected to a shore charger at the time of the incident.

Energy Absolute added that the incident originated in the vessel’s upper deck, which is situated in a different section from where the battery is located. The operator said the fire incident therefore did not occur due to battery-related issues, contrary to what some local media outlets have reported.

Both Energy Absolute and the local marine office in Samut Prakan are investigating the incident.