Recently, scientists from the Vietnam Institute of Maritime Science and Technology at the Vietnam Maritime University successfully researched and developed an automatic fire alarm system. With its primary function of automatically monitoring and reporting fires, this system has been validated by the relevant authorities and approved for installation in the operations of Vietnam’s maritime industry.
Dr. Pham Ngoc Tiep from the Vietnam Maritime University stated that according to regulations set by the Register of Shipping, vessels must be equipped with fire alarm devices, especially as the level of automation increases and the number of crew members decreases while the structure of ships becomes more complex. The automatic fire alarm system is particularly crucial for vessels such as passenger ships, oil tankers, cargo ships carrying flammable materials, and ships operating in areas with oil or flammable substances…
Moreover, the successful development of this automatic fire monitoring and reporting system domestically has helped the Vietnamese shipping industry save about 60% compared to the cost of purchasing a similar system from abroad.
The automatic fire alarm system, based on PLC (Programmable Logic Controller) technology developed by the Maritime Science and Technology Institute, allows for automatic notifications to crew members in areas where a fire is occurring. Depending on the level of severity, this system assists personnel in firefighting by actions such as turning off ventilation fans, closing doors to prevent fire spread, and activating the CO2 chamber or other extinguishing agents.
Dr. Pham Ngoc Tiep noted that this fire alarm system is compatible with most smoke and fire sensors available on the market. Furthermore, the system can connect to computers for monitoring, data collection, and importantly, it features open communication standards, making it very flexible for data communication.
With advanced communication network technology applied in the development of the automatic fire alarm system, including Profibus, DP, and PA for information exchange, the number of signal transmission cables from the bridge to the control room, engine room, and cockpit has been significantly reduced. Thus, the new solution developed by the scientists at the Maritime Science and Technology Institute utilizes only one twisted pair cable combined with redundancy capabilities, ensuring that the system operates safely and efficiently.
By using PLC equipment from Siemens that meets European and international quality standards, in addition to basic functions for automatic monitoring and fire reporting, the system also allows for additional requirements such as internet connectivity and Ethernet compatibility for maritime devices like NMEA 0183 or IEEE 61162. It is also capable of data exchange with shore stations and ship owners through Inmarsat services.
To date, after successfully developing the system and receiving certification from the Register of Shipping, engineers at the Vietnam Maritime Science and Technology Institute are continuing to manufacture the system according to market demand. Dr. Pham Ngoc Tiep mentioned that initially, they will develop a small-scale monitoring and alarm system, and subsequently, depending on customer requirements, a more open-source system will be created.
