On August 12, 2025, Alaska Marine Lines, which operates barge services to Hawaii and Alaska, announced that it will no longer ship electric vehicles (EVs) or plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) on its vessels. The prohibition on EVs and PHEVs took effect immediately for barges to Hawaii, Central Alaska, and Western Alaska, and took effect on September 1 for barges to Southeast Alaska. The company attributed the change to “the increased complexity and fire risk associated with shipping large lithium-ion batteries on vessels at sea.” EV fires pose unique difficulty for firefighters, ranging from the difficulty of extinguishing the fire to the gases released. The announcement comes about two months after a cargo ship carrying thousands of new vehicles, including EVs and PHEVs, caught fire off the coast of Alaska and burned for weeks before eventually sinking.Continue Reading Alaskan and Hawaiian Barges Will No Longer Carry EVs Due to Concerns Regarding Fires