Working with InterManager, the international trade association for the ship management industry, LR has used its SafetyScanner machine learning technology to identify new, previously unseen insights surrounding lifeboat accidents, which will help improve lifeboat safety at sea, according to LR's release.
Concerned about lifeboat safety and fatalities caused by lifeboat accidents, InterManager began gathering statistics several years ago, aiming to identify key risk factors. Having collated figures which date back to 1980, InterManager now has the largest maritime industry database of lifeboat accidents.
LR’s SafetyScanner, an artificial intelligence solution designed to read vast amounts of data and identify common themes, topics and phrases which carry a similarity, has examined the raw, aggregated data from InterManager’s lifeboat accident database. From this, LR experts have identified new insights into the main causes, hazards and trends surrounding lifeboat accidents. Main findings include:
Human beings were not the primary cause of lifeboat accidents
23.8% of accidents were due to issues relating to equipment
Most common mechanism issues included: release mechanism, davit, and wire/rope
1 in every 5 accidents involved the boat/crew falling into the water
1 in every 13 accidents happened when the lifeboat was in the stowed position
LR SafetyScanner findings will be used by InterManager during its discussions with maritime industry regulators and the wider shipping industry, as the association works with them to help reduce risks and to prevent fatalities.