The kick-off meeting for the project “OVERHEAT – INNOVATIVE STRATEGIES FOR CONTAINERSHIP FIRES PREVENTION AND MANAGEMENT” was held at the IMAT headquarters. The 17 partners of the European initiative, coordinated by the Academy of Castel Volturno with the support of ISSNOVA, met for the first time to lay the foundations for new strategies and innovative solutions for the safety of seafarers, commercial ships, and the shipping industry in general.
The research project, composed of shipping companies, port authorities, policymakers, trade associations, and academia, aims to advance knowledge and technologies for preventing and managing cargo fires aboard ships, from container ships to ferries carrying trucks with containers.
OVERHEAT’s strategies will specifically focus on increasing the safety of people and/or cargo, significantly reducing the impact of fires on coastal areas, and addressing the current lack of systems above the safety deck of a container ship.
The project aims to introduce a new generation of digital fire management solutions that are comprehensive, seamless, real-time, and compliant with IMO regulations, integrated into the ship’s IT infrastructure. The impact of this solution will initially be evaluated through validation activities in a simulated environment, followed by demonstrative activities in a real environment, with five use cases identified to demonstrate feasibility and benefits.
“The main lines of action will focus on planning phase verifications to avoid the probability of fire development on board and on developing operational procedures to neutralize them as safely and efficiently as possible,” explains Engineer Marco Pasciuto, project coordinator on behalf of IMAT. “Our structure will play both a managerial and technical role. Simulators and the fire training field will be used for the planned real-time simulation and live trial activities, necessary to increase the life cycle level from the initial idea to its realization.”
OVERHEAT will develop a Digital Solution (DS) that offers a comprehensive view of the situation on board and around the ship. Furthermore, the integration of fixed and mobile Internet of Things (IoT) sensors and Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) will create an on-site system for fire prevention, timely detection, and rapid response. Finally, assessments of best practices and safety culture will be conducted to prevent fires and understand crew awareness of safety situations on board.
“Participation in this important European project consolidates our Center’s internationalization path, allowing us to exchange best practices, knowledge, and skills with essential players in the maritime industry,” emphasizes Dr. Erminia Della Monica, Sole Director of IMAT. “Once again, the training sector confirms, when supported, as in this case, by a vision oriented towards investment in human capital, means, and innovative technologies, its ability to play a driving role for the future developments of the entire maritime sector.”
The project partners are Italian Maritime Academy Technologies, Fondazione Institute for Sustainable Society and Innovation, Siec Badawcza Lukasiewicz-Instytutlotnictwa, Institut fur Seeverkehrswirtschaft und Logistik, Societe Portuaire Brest Bretagne, Fundacion de la Comunidad Valenciana para la Investigacion, Promocion y Estudios Comerciales de Valenciaport, Development & Innovation in Transport Systems srl, Circoe, Akkodis Italy srl, Ecole Nationale Superieure Maritime, GTS Servizi srl, Seatopic, Peopletrust, Hochschule Bremerhaven – University of Applied Sciences, Topview, Consorcio para el Servicio de Prevencion y Extincion de Incendios y Salvamento de la Provincia de Valencia, Caronte & Tourist.
In the following photos, the working group is gathered at IMAT.
