MITSUI O.S.K. Lines has announced one of its car carriers as the recipient of a certification from ClassNK recognising its voluntary measures to prevent onboard fires.
Cerulean Ace, an LNG-fuelled car carrier operated and managed by MOL, received the Additional Fire-Fighting measures for Vehicle Carrier (AVFC) certification from ClassNK, for MOL’s voluntary measures to prevent onboard fires during the transport of electric vehicles
The Japanese shipping line claims it is the world first case an ocean shipping company’s voluntary measures against electric vehicle fires have earned certification from a classification society.
Cerulean Ace was certified as meeting three of the requirements in ClassNK’s Guidelines for the Safe Transportation of Electric Vehicles; fire detection, fire fighting, and enhanced fixed fire-extinguishing system.
One of the advanced initiatives among the three provisions certified is the installation of cameras and artificial intelligence systems for smoke recognition in the cargo holds of new vessels, including the Cerulean Ace, for early detection of fires.
MOL says when this AI system detects an abnormality in the images captured by the camera, it sends an alarm to the crewmember onboard and to the onshore ship management company.
The system was highly evaluated for its usefulness in the early detection of vehicle fires, resulting in the certification.
The AI system was developed by a company called Captain’s Eye, headquartered in Israel, which specialises in maritime AI technology.
MOL first announced the plans to install the AI system in November last year, stating it would be installed in the cargo holds of most of its LNG-fuelled car carriers.
“This certification represents ClassNK’s official recognition of MOL’s effort to pursue advanced safety initiatives,” MOL said in its statement.
“As a leading company in the transport of completed vehicles, MOL will continue to promote fire prevention and ensure safe transport.”
The certification for fire safety comes in the wake of the Felicity Ace saga, the MOL owned and operated RoRo that caught fire in February 2022 while transporting almost 4000 vehicles, the crew then abandoning the vessel, which eventually sunk.
In their lawsuits the plaintiffs claim the fire originated in a lithium-ion battery fitted to a Porsche and spread quickly due to the prevalence of EVs on board and the uncontrollable nature of such blazes.
