Cargo ship fires reached a decade-high in 2024

The recent rise in cargo ship fires is driving the maritime industry to adopt artificial intelligence tools. Many of these incidents are caused by misdeclared hazardous goods, such as lithium-ion batteries, and are harder to contain on today’s increasingly large container vessels.

To tackle the issue, the World Shipping Council has launched an AI-based system that scans millions of bookings in real time, flagging suspicious patterns that may indicate hidden dangerous cargo. The system already covers 70% of global container freight capacity and has been welcomed by insurers and risk experts.

The AI tool is designed to detect mislabels — such as “coconut pellets” instead of “coconut charcoal”, or batteries declared as “computer parts” — and will improve over time by learning from past cases. One recent fire, on the Wan Hai 503, claimed four lives off the coast of India and is suspected to have involved undeclared dangerous goods.

With global demand for lithium batteries expected to more than double by 2030, the risks are growing. Artificial intelligence may soon become a crucial ally in safeguarding the industry amid environmental pressures and rising geopolitical tensions.

Source: Financial Times. Image: Indian Coast Guard