VIDEO: MOL opts for AI for car carrier fire protection

Felicity Ace fire underscored car carrier fire costs [Image: Portuguese Navy]

As Japan’s Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. (MOL) knows only too well from its own experience with the Liberty Ace incident, car carrier fires can be costly. To guard against future incidents, the Japanese shipping giant is turning to cameras and an AI solution developed by Haifa, Israel, headquartered Captain’s Eye for car carrier fire protection.

MOL says it will install the Captain’s Eye solution in the cargo areas of most of its LNG-fueled car carriers to provide early fire detection capabilities.

The technology will be installed on 10 vessels currently on order and scheduled for delivery in 2024 or later and MOL will consider retrofitting current in-service vessels with the system.

The Captain’s Eye AI system sends an alert to crewmembers onboard the vessel and to the onshore ship management company when it detects abnormal images captured by the cameras. All MOL car carriers are currently equipped with fire alarms (smoke detectors), but the AI-based system will enable faster smoke detection. In addition, images of the cargo hold can be viewed from both the vessel and on land, leading to a faster response in case of fire.

Captain’s Eye AI systems are mainly used to detect abnormalities in the engine room and on deck and have been introduced on merchant ships and other vessels around the world. In collaboration with Captain’s Eye, MOL has conducted demonstration tests of the AI system’s smoke detection capabilities using cameras in cargo holds aboard the car carrier Onyx Ace. It has improved the system’s functionality through multiple tests, and has confirmed its effectiveness, including the successful detection of small amounts of smoke, and has decided to install the Captain’s Eye system on selected car carriers.

The video gives an overview of how the technology operates.