The Ministry of Transport has ordered a halt to the import of cars into Israel through the ports of Haifa and Ashdod due to escalating rocket attacks and the risk of multi-day and extremely destructive fires if missiles hit electric and hybrid vehicles stored at the ports.
According to IsraelDefence, this decision was made within the framework of a state of emergency due to the special situation in the rear. The Israel Ports Company has demanded that vehicle importers immediately remove vehicles stored at the ports to make room for important cargo.
The Ministry of Transport emphasizes that one of the reasons for the reduction in imports of new cars is the risk of damage to ports as a result of large fires: cars are stored very closely, which increases the risk of fires spreading, especially dangerous when it comes to electric and hybrid vehicles.
The Israeli Fire Department recently published a report indicating that there are virtually no effective ways to extinguish lithium-ion batteries used in cars, and if such a fire occurs, it can rage for days or even weeks. The only way to extinguish a burning electric car is to completely immerse it in water, but in this case, the port docks will be paralyzed for a long time.