Recent fires on board ships carrying electric cars have prompted a rush to boost the protection of vessels, with a regulatory official warning that growing exports of battery powered vehicles pose a significant safety risk.

Heike Deggim, head of safety at the UN’s International Maritime Organization, said member states would draw up new rules next spring for shipping groups that transport vehicles powered by lithium-ion batteries.

Industry participants said shipowners were also looking to redesign car carriers, upgrade fire prevention measures and mitigate the threat to lives and global trade posed by the batteries, whose flames can be harder to keep extinguished than those caused by conventional vehicles.