Data & analytics at heart of cargo vessel safety collaboration

Munich Re, the U.S. Coast Guard and the National Cargo Bureau are collaborating to enhance container inspections.

According to The International Union of Marine Insurance, the past five years have seen an “unprecedented level” of cargo vessel fires, and improperly shipped hazardous materials and dangerous goods were a major reason why. (Credit: Raychel Lean/ALM)

The U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) and National Cargo Bureau (NCB) are teaming with Munich Re to leverage the reinsurers’ predictive analytics and modeling abilities to better scrutinize data from cargo vessel fire inspections. The partnership will expand the datasets of both organizations, while Munich Re will also analyze the combined information to uncover trends and help make recommendations.

The program started with Munich Re examining the data and working with USCD and NCB to establish risk scores based on “deficient types and severities that could serve as proxies for how dangerous the results of an inspection are,” according to Janet Wesner, head of analytics at Munich Re U.S.

“From there, by questioning the data and having a dialogue with experts who knew which conclusions were real insights versus artifacts of the data collection process, we were able to provide recommendations into areas to explore further and ways to enhance future data capture,” Wesner said in a release.

While it is impossible to inspect every container given the delays it would cause, being able to improve the ability to target higher interest shipments offers huge potential to advance cargo vessel safety, according to Sean Dalton, head of marine underwriting in North America for Munich Re.

The ultimate goal, he explained in a release, is to prevent improperly shipped hazardous materials and dangerous goods.

Improper packaging, labeling and stowage aboard vessels and mis-declared cargo are major drivers of incorrectly shipped hazardous materials, according to The International Union of Marine Insurance, which reported the past five years have seen an “unprecedented level” of cargo vessel fires.

In addition to improving safety, the collaboration has the potential to reduce ocean marine losses and showcase the potential for predictive analytics in the maritime industry, according to Dalton.

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