LASH FIRE · Project

Proven Fire Prevention and Detection Systems for Safer Ro-Ro Ship Operations

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Imagine a floating parking garage packed with cars, trucks, and trailers crossing the sea — that's a ro-ro ship. Fires on these vessels have been increasing, and when one breaks out mid-voyage, there's no fire department to call. LASH FIRE brought together 27 organizations across 14 countries to develop and test real detection systems, smarter alarm interfaces, and firefighting tools — all demonstrated on actual ships. The goal is to cut ro-ro ship fires by 35% and deaths by 45%, and feed these solutions directly into international maritime regulations.

By the numbers

35%

Targeted reduction in ro-ro ship fire frequency

45%

Targeted reduction in fatalities from ro-ro ship fires

Specific fire safety challenges addressed with new solutions

Consortium partners across the project

Countries represented in the consortium

Demonstration deliverables with onboard or on-site validation

Total project deliverables produced

The business problem

What needed solving

Fires on ro-ro ships — vessels that carry vehicles, trucks, and cargo on wheeled decks — have been increasing in frequency and severity. When a fire breaks out at sea, there is no external fire service to call, meaning the crew must handle it alone with whatever systems are onboard. Current fire detection, prevention, and suppression systems on these ships are not keeping pace with new risks like electric vehicles and densely packed cargo decks.

The solution

What was built

The project built and demonstrated 7 key prototypes: an ignition source detection system (spotting overheating electrical devices), an intuitive alarm interface for crew, a firefighting resource management simulator, weather deck fire-extinguishment systems tested onboard, safe electrical connection systems for reefers and EVs on new and existing ships, a stowage plan visualization tool, and a vehicle identification tool — all validated through onboard or on-site demonstrations.

Audience

Who needs this

Ro-ro and ro-pax ferry operators looking to reduce fire incidents on vehicle decksShipyards designing next-generation ro-ro vessels with enhanced fire safetyMarine safety equipment manufacturers developing IMO-compliant productsMarine insurance companies seeking to improve risk models for ro-ro fleetsPort authorities and maritime safety agencies updating fire safety requirements

Business applications

Who can put this to work

Maritime shipping and ferry operators

enterprise

Target: Ro-ro and ro-pax ferry operators

If you are a ferry or ro-ro shipping company dealing with rising fire incidents in vehicle decks — this project developed and demonstrated onboard fire-extinguishment solutions for weather decks, prototype detection systems for ignition sources like overheating electrical devices, and a vehicle identification tool for cargo tracking. These were tested on operational vessels and aim to reduce fire frequency by 35%.

Shipbuilding and marine equipment

mid-size

Target: Shipyards and marine safety equipment manufacturers

If you are a shipyard or marine equipment supplier looking to meet upcoming IMO fire safety regulations — this project built demonstrators for safe electrical systems on new ships under construction, including operational routines for safe reefer and electric vehicle connections. With 15 industry partners involved in development, these solutions are designed for direct integration into vessel design and retrofit.

Maritime insurance and classification

enterprise

Target: Marine insurers and classification societies

If you are a marine insurer or classification society assessing fire risk on ro-ro vessels — this project provides a recognized technical basis for revised IMO regulations, backed by risk reduction and cost assessments across 20 specific fire safety challenges. The project targets a 45% reduction in fatalities, which directly impacts loss ratios and risk models for ro-ro fleets.

Frequently asked

Quick answers

What would it cost to implement these fire safety solutions on our vessels?

The project assessed risk reduction versus cost for each of its 20 solutions, but specific per-unit pricing is not published in the project data. Costs will vary depending on whether you are retrofitting existing vessels or integrating into new builds. Contact the consortium partners — particularly the 15 industry members — for commercial pricing.

Can these systems work at the scale of a commercial ro-ro fleet?

Yes. Multiple solutions were demonstrated onboard operational vessels, not just in laboratories. The safe electrical systems demonstrator was tested on both a new ship under construction and a ship in operation, confirming real-world integration feasibility across different vessel types.

Who owns the IP, and can we license these technologies?

IP is distributed across the 27-partner consortium, which includes 15 industry partners and 5 SMEs. Licensing terms would need to be negotiated with individual technology owners. The system suppliers who developed and demonstrated solutions are the most likely licensing partners.

How do these solutions relate to upcoming maritime regulations?

LASH FIRE was specifically designed to provide a technical basis for revising international IMO regulations on ro-ro ship fire safety. The project worked with advisory groups including operators and flag states to ensure regulatory uptake. Solutions addressing all fire stages were evaluated for IMO consideration.

What fire detection technologies were actually demonstrated?

The project demonstrated a prototype for detecting potential ignition sources — specifically heat sources from electrical devices — for fire prevention purposes. It also built an alarm system interface prototype designed for intuitive understanding and fast, precise crew response. Both were validated through on-site and onboard demonstrations.

When can we expect these solutions to be available commercially?

The project closed in August 2023, and multiple technologies reached demonstration stage on operational vessels. Some solutions from the 15 industry partners may already be moving toward commercial availability. The firefighting resource management simulator and vehicle identification tool were prototyped and tested on-site.

Is there training support for crew using these new systems?

The project developed a firefighting resource management simulator prototype that was demonstrated on-site, which can serve as a crew training tool. The alarm system interface prototype was specifically designed for intuitive understanding, reducing the training burden for onboard fire response.

Consortium

Who built it

The LASH FIRE consortium of 27 partners across 14 countries is heavily weighted toward industry, with 15 industrial partners (56%) including 5 SMEs — a strong signal that these solutions were built for commercial reality, not just academic papers. The mix includes system suppliers, ship owners, and shipyards alongside 7 research institutes and 3 universities. Coordinated by RISE Research Institutes of Sweden, a major European applied research organization, the project had the breadth to cover the full fire safety chain from detection to extinguishment. With partners from major maritime nations (Norway, Denmark, Finland, Netherlands, Germany, France, UK), the consortium covers the key European shipping markets where ro-ro vessels operate.

RISE RESEARCH INSTITUTES OF SWEDEN ABCoordinator · SE
DFDS ASparticipant · DK
CENTER OF MARITIME TECHNOLOGIES GGMBHparticipant · DE
UNIVERSITE DE LORRAINEparticipant · FR
BUREAU VERITAS MARINE & OFFSHORE REGISTRE INTERNATIONAL DE CLASSIFICATION DE NAVIRES ET DE PLATEFORMES OFFSHOREparticipant · FR
NTNU SAMFUNNSFORSKNING ASparticipant · NO
SICK AGparticipant · DE
TEKNOLOGIAN TUTKIMUSKESKUS VTT OYparticipant · FI
INTERFERRY ABparticipant · SE
SHIPYARDS AND MARITIME EQUIPMENT ASSOCIATION OF EUROPEparticipant · BE
MAGELLAN-ASSOCIACAO PARA A REPRESENTACAO DOS INTERESSES PORTUGUESES NO EXTERIORparticipant · PT
CENTRE INTERNACIONAL DE METODES NUMERICS EN ENGINYERIAparticipant · ES
RISE FIRE RESEARCH ASparticipant · NO
UNIVERSITY OF CYPRUSparticipant · CY
STENA REDERI ABparticipant · SE
NORGES TEKNISK-NATURVITENSKAPELIGE UNIVERSITET NTNUparticipant · NO
FLOW SHIP DESIGN DOO ZA PROJEKTIRANJE, KONZALTING I INZENJERING U BRODOGRADNJIparticipant · HR

How to reach the team

RISE Research Institutes of Sweden AB — search for LASH FIRE project coordinator at RISE for direct contact

Order a report on this consortium See RISE RESEARCH INSTITUTES OF SWEDEN AB profile →

Next steps

Talk to the team behind this work.

Want to connect with the teams behind these maritime fire safety technologies? SciTransfer can arrange introductions to the right consortium partners for your specific vessel type and safety challenge.

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