Several major shipping operators are working together to increase cargo safety in response to the rising risk of container fires and the ongoing difficulty of protecting containers to reduce losses. The Safetytech Accelerator, founded by Lloyd's Register, is a non-profit organisation and the first accelerator exclusively focused on technology. It will bring together the sector in an effort to identify and advance technological advances for the maritime sector.
The scope and complexity of the difficulties operators face are expanding and changing, according to the project's founders. While many organisations are focusing on the expansion of electric vehicles and the expanding use of lithium-ion batteries, insurers like Allianz have emphasised the rising fire threat as one of the industry's primary priorities. The catastrophic fire and destruction of the Felicity Ace a year earlier off the Azores, which resulted in an approximate $400 million in cargo damage, brought to light the difficulty facing car carrier owners. Yet, as more lithium-ion batteries and other dangerous commodities are transported in containers, the danger is now more widespread.
The second stage of the launch of a new generation of ultra-large container boats will also occur this year. Large-scale container failures overboard are becoming more and more likely as ships get bigger and more complicated. In an effort to reduce overboard losses caused by stack collapses, studies are being done to better understand the stresses that these big containerships are subjected to.
A cooperative technology accelerator initiative that aims to address these problems is the Safetytech Accelerator Cargo Fire & Loss Innovation Initiative. The project's anchor partners include Lloyd's Register, Maersk, Evergreen, HMM, Ocean Network Express (ONE), Seaspan, and the Offen Group. They also hope to expand it to include more business leaders.
According to Maurizio Pilu, Managing Director of the Safetytech Accelerator, "Our objective is to assist address some of the most challenging safety, risk, and resilience concerns in industry through open innovation and collaboration." "The marine industry faces a significant challenge in preventing cargo fire and damage, and while mishaps luckily happen seldom, their effects can be quite significant. With the Anchor Partners, we anticipate that this new joint technology acceleration project will significantly advance the industry in that direction.
The initiative's wide-ranging focus includes three crucial issues. The first is concerned with onboard cargo control, which includes how well cargo has been loaded, secured, and tracked while in route. The ability to see fire onboard and effectively respond to it, especially on big container ships and car carriers, is covered in the second section. The third factor has to do with the difficulties brought on by larger and larger warships.
The participants will collaborate on defining the shared requirements, locating technological options, and creating best practises and suggestions. Trials that have been thoughtfully crafted will aid in their efforts. The goals of the programme, according to Lloyd's, are consistent with the broader mandate to increase ship and crew safety and safeguard the maritime ecology. The anchor partners want to contribute significantly to the industry's improvement of cargo safety through this partnership.
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