Some of the world’s largest container ship owners are teaming up with a Lloyd’s Register-backed technology accelerator to explore ways to combat shipboard fires at sea.
The initiative brings together Safetytech Accelerator with the likes of Evergreen Marine, HMM, Maersk, Offen Group, Ocean Network Express (ONE) and US-listed tonnage provider Seaspan Corp.
The group will use feasibility studies to understand how cargo is loaded and also monitored at sea, as well as finding solutions to detect fire on board ships and speed up ways to stop it spreading.
Lloyd’s Register said the scale and breadth of the challenges facing operators is growing and continues to evolve.
“These include through the increasing carriage of lithium-ion batteries either in containers or within electric vehicles on car carriers and the increasing growth in complexity and size of modern container vessels,” the class society said.
“Fire and cargo loss at sea not only has an immediate impact on the safety of those on board but also creates the potential for significant environmental damage.”
Lloyd’s Register said the initiative has a broad scope encompassing three significant topics of concern.
The first relates to on-board cargo control, including whether cargo has been properly, loaded, secured and monitored during transit.
The second area covers the ability to detect fire on board and stop its spread through effective on-board response, particularly on large container ships and car carriers. The third relates to the challenges created by the increasing scale of vessels.
Recent analysis by major insurer Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty showed there had been over 70 reported fires on board container ships alone in the past five years, with growing risks faced by car carriers transporting electric vehicles using batteries.
“Reducing the risk of cargo fires is accordingly a key priority for Maersk and the industry at large,” said Aslak Ross, the head of marine standards & DPA at Maersk Line.
“The main root cause for cargo fires on container ships is the integrity of dangerous goods throughout the supply chain.
“Therefore it is a problem that can only be improved through industry-wide solutions and for that reason we are a strong believer in sharing of learnings across the industry to improve safety,” he added.
Ross said the Safetytech Accelerator Cargo Fire & Loss Innovation Initiative is a “good platform” to bring stakeholders together to find new effective solutions to the problem of cargo fires.
