A B777 IN CRUISE AT FL370 DECLARED AN EMER AND DIVERTED DUE TO A MAIN SHIPS BATTERY OVERHEATING WITH SMOKE AND FUMES.

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JUST PRIOR TO XXXX N EICAS STATUS MSG BAT CHARGER MAIN; MAIN BATTERY MSG CHANGES TO MAIN BAT OVERHEAT; MAIN BATTERY. SATCOM TO PATCH TO MAINT TO DISCUSS CONCERNS OVER MSG AND LACK OF INFO TO DEAL WITH MSG. CURIOUS OF BATTERY LOCATION; MAINT CALLS BACK WITH MAIN BAT LOCATION. MSG BACK TO MAIN BAT CHARGER MAIN BATTERY. SHOW SLIGHT DISCHARGE ON ELEC PAGE; FO FLYING JET. CAPT ELECTS TO CHK EE COMPARTMENT TO VISUALLY CHK BAT. CAPT FINDS BAT WARM AND ALL APPEARS NORMAL. NEW CALL TO MAINT TO DISCUSS WAYS OF DEALING WITH SIT IF OCCURS AGAIN. MAINT SUGGESTS IF HAPPENS AGAIN PULL CB P320 K-9 MAIN BATTERY. BELIEVE SIT UNDER CTL. CONTINUE MONITOR ELEC PAGE. AT XA:15Z MAIN BATTERY CHARGER REENGAGES VOLTAGE 27 CHARGING AMPS 27; RAPIDLY RISES TO 26V 62 AMPS. XA:29Z CAPT ELECTS TO GO TO EE COMPARTMENT DUE TO PREVIOUS KNOWLEDGE OF LOCATION AND PULL CB P320 K-9. UPON ENTERING EE BATTERY IS RAPIDLY EMITTING SMOKE. NO TIME FOR PBE. TIME CRITICAL. CAPT PULLS P320 K-9. CAPT BACK IN COCKPIT; TEST; BRIEF TO #1 FA; PA TO PAX; MAYDAY CALL TO ZZZ ON VHF. ZZZ1 NEAREST SUITABLE; VFR. REQUEST ARFF WITH INFRARED CAPABILITY XA:39Z BATTERY OVERHEAT MSG BACK. CLRED DIRECT ZZZ1 FO FLYING CAPT CHK LISTS SMOKE FUMES FIRE ELECT; DUE TO FUMES IN CAB. SMOKE FUME REMOVAL; EMER LNDG CHKLIST AND NORMALS. ILS 29 NORMAL LNDG. STOP ON RWY FIRE CREW CHK ACFT WITH INFRARED AND VISUAL OF BATTERY IN COMPARTMENT OK. TAXI TO GATE. I FEEL THIS STATUS MSG NEEDS A PROCEDURE AND CHKLIST TO DEAL WITH THIS IN FUTURE. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR STATED THE SECOND TRIP TO THE EQUIP BAY WAS FORCED DUE TO THE RAPID RISE IN AMPERAGE 62 AMPS AND THE REQUIREMENT TO PULL THE CHARGER CIRCUIT BREAKER. THE RPTR SAID ON ENTERING THE EQUIP BAY THE BATTERY WAS EMITTING SMOKE AND THE CIRCUIT BREAKER WAS IMMEDIATELY PULLED. THE RPTR STATED A SHORT TIME LATER THE BATTERY OVERHEAT MSG WAS DISPLAYED ON THE STATUS PAGE. THE RPTR THEN DECLARED AN EMER AND DIVERTED. THE RPTR STATED THE LACK OF INFO IN THE FLT OPS MANUAL ON BATTERY OVERHEAT PROCS AND THE TOTAL LACK OF CIRCUIT BREAKER LOCATION CHARTS SHOULD BE CORRECTED. CALLBACK FROM ACN 552788 THE RPTR STATED THE FIRST MSG WAS A LOW LEVEL STATUS MSG THAT REQUIRED NO ACTION BY THE CREW. THE RPTR SAID NO PROCS WERE FOUND IN THE FLT OPS MANUAL ON AN OVERHEATED BATTERY AND NO CIRCUIT BREAKER LOCATION CHARTS ARE CARRIED IN THE COCKPIT ANYMORE. THE RPTR STATED THAT AFTER THE SECOND TRIP BY THE CAPT TO THE EQUIP BAY TO PULL THE BATTERY CIRCUIT BREAKER THE BATTERY OVERHEAT MSG CAME ON. THE RPTR SAID WHEN ON THE GND MAINT DECIDED TO SWAP THE APU BATTERY WITH THE MAIN SHIP'S BATTERY. THE RPTR STATED WHEN REMOVING THE MAIN SHIP'S BATTERY THE TECHNICIANS INCURRED A SKIN BURN TO HIS ARM FROM THE BATTERY CASE.