Using AI to Enhance Fire Prevention

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines,  announced that on August 27, the CERULEAN ACE, an LNG-fueled car carrier operated by MOL and managed by MOL Ship Management  has been granted certification “Additional Fire-Fighting measures for Vehicle Carrier” by the Nippon Kaiji Kyokai  for its voluntary measures to prevent onboard fires during the transport of electric vehicles. This is the first case in the world in which an ocean shipping company’s voluntary measures against electric vehicle fires have earned certification from a ship classification society.

ClassNK established certification rules for fire safety measures on car carriers in its Guidelines for the Safe Transportation of Electric Vehicles, which were formulated in August 2023, to enable an objective evaluation of advanced safety measures taken by shipowners and ship management companies. The CERULEAN ACE was certified as meeting three of the guideline’s requirements: FD (Fire Detection), FF (Fire Fighting) and EFF (Enhanced Fixed Fire-extinguishing system).

One of the most advanced initiatives among the three provisions certified this time 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. When the 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.

This certification represents ClassNK’s official recognition of MOL’s effort to pursue advanced safety initiatives. As a leading company in the transport of completed vehicles, MOL will continue to promote fire prevention and ensure safe transport.