Global shipping carriers join Safetytech Accelerator for cargo safety

The Safetytech Accelerator Cargo Fire and Loss Innovation Initiative (CFLII) is a collaborative technology acceleration programme that will help tackle the issue through shaping joint requirements, identifying technology solutions, undertaking carefully designed trials, and developing best practices and recommendations, the involved parties said in a joint press release.

The CFLII has a broad scope encompassing three significant topics of concern. The first relates to onboard cargo control, including whether cargo has been properly loaded, secured, and monitored during transit. The second area covers the ability to detect fire onboard and stop its spread through effective onboard response, particularly on large container ships and car-carriers. The third relates to the challenges created by the increasing scale of vessels.

“Safeytech Accelerator’s mission is to help solve some of the most complex safety, risk, and resilience challenges in the industry through open innovation and collaboration. Eliminating cargo fire and loss is a big challenge in the maritime industry and while accidents are thankfully infrequent, their impact can be extremely large. Together with the Anchor Partners we hope this new collaborative technology acceleration initiative will help the industry make significant progress towards that goal,” said Maurizio Pilu, managing director of Safetytech Accelerator.

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. Fire and cargo loss at sea not only has an immediate impact on the safety of those onboard but also creates the potential for significant environmental damage.

ALCHEMPro News Desk (NB)