Next generation of life Saving appliances and systems for saFE and swift evacuation operations on high capacity PASSenger ships in extreme scenarios and conditions

Project Information

SafePASS

Grant agreement ID: 815146

DOI

10.3030/815146

Project closed

EC signature date 11 April 2019

Start date 1 September 2019

End date 31 December 2022

Funded under

• SOCIETAL CHALLENGES - Smart, Green And Integrated Transport

Total cost

€ 8 270 366,25

EU contribution

€ 8 270 366,25

Coordinated by

ETHNICON METSOVION POLYTECHNION
Greece

Periodic Reporting for period 2 - SafePASS (Next generation of life Saving appliances and systems for saFE and swift evacuation operations on high capacity PASSenger ships in extreme scenarios and conditions)

Reporting period: 2021-03-01 to 2022-12-31

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

Evacuating a large passenger ship is a hazardous, safety-critical, strictly time-bound task and a complex decision-making process. Current evacuation plans insufficiently address the presence of flooding and fire hazards, they are static and do not effectively manage situation that evolve over time and they fail to adequately account for human behaviour during stressful situations. Moreover, current ship and Life Saving Appliances (LSAs) designs are not adjusted for facilitating evacuation imposing delays within the evacuation process. SafePASS aims to radically redefine the evacuation processes, evacuation systems/equipment and international regulations for passenger ships in all environments, hazards and weather conditions, independently of the demographic factor, by developing an integrated system that will collectively monitor, process and inform during emergencies both crew and passengers of the optimal evacuation routes, coupled with advanced, intuitive and easy to use LSA, resulting as such to a significant reduction of the total time required for ship evacuation and increased safety. The overall objectives of SafePASS are:
1. Develop a comprehensive post-incident approach from ALARM to RESCUE including fire and flooding scenarios; 2. Design and develop next generation life-saving appliances for large capacity passenger ships; 3. Design and develop advanced evacuation support tools and methods that will radically improve evacuation operations while enhancing situation awareness on board; 4. Introduce an advanced platform which addresses the safety needs of passengers during complex evacuation processes by identifying, designating and sustaining a Location-based Dynamic Evacuation Route that adapts according to current and evolving circumstances and guides passengers, while facilitating crew coordination; 5. Provide social- and behavioural-driven solutions compatible with international legislation, standards & regulations and recommendations for future adoption; 6. Validate and demonstrate SafePASS developments on industrially relevant environment.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

Following a stakeholder driven approach, current ship evacuation practices and regulations, gaps and needs, the mission and operational KPIs, the user and functional requirements, the specifications and system architecture of the SafePASS system have been defined.
Different technologies and tools, enabling dynamic systems to guide individuals and groups have been implemented and tested: A Smart Lifejacket, a Smart Wristband, a Passenger Mobile Application, and an Augmented Reality (AR) Rescue Application (for crew and passengers). Adequately integrated in the safety system of modern cruise ships such tools can track and guide people from their actual location within the ship to the assembly stations and embarkation areas, taking into account continuously updated vessel’s conditions, e.g. congested escape routes or routes blocked by water ingress or fire/smoke.
Furthermore, SafePASS has implemented and tested technologies and tools for improved crowd control and management, enhanced situational awareness, and dynamic guidance systems. In more detail:
-The Common Operational Picture (COP) Holographic COP for intuitive control and management of the evacuation process.
-The Core Platform enabling real-time information exchange, data management and security.
-The Dynamic Exit Signs that continuously update and display the optimum evacuation route.
-The Crowd Simulation Tool calculating the fastest and safest evacuation route based on the actual conditions on board.
Novel Personal Survival Equipment (PSE) and two types of novel LSA models have been designed and tested (the Hard and Soft Shell), as well as novel LSA access arrangements, passages and ship architectural structures which ensure the safe and fast embarkation of passengers and safe abandonment of the ship for all demographic groups and in extreme weather conditions. In addition, an AR LSA Training and Maintenance Application has been developed to train crew members on the operation and maintenance of lifeboats.
A Risk Modelling tool has been implemented that evaluates and mitigate the risks related to major maritime accidents and the evacuation process. Risk Mitigation and Control Measures (RCMs) and their respective Risk Control Options (RCOs) have been defined. A Regulatory, Ethics and GDPR Framework has been defined and recommendations to IMO and potential amendments of IMO regulatory framework have been produced to ensure that SafePASS solutions are viable and suitable for use in the shipboard environment. A "Community of Practices" has been set up that was actively engaged through workshops and surveys in the definition of the SafePASS Social License to Operate (SLO) and the Implementation Roadmap to ensure acceptability and sustainability of project results. Finally, SafePASS prototypes have been developed and tested in individual validation campaigns, while the integrated SafePASS system has been validated via evacuation simulations and during the pilot demonstration, which took place onboard RCCL cruise ship, at CdA shipyard. In total 13 Key Exploitable Results (KERs) have been identified, reaching a TRL level from 5 to 7, and high-impact dissemination and communication activities have been conducted.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

SafePASS advances beyond state-of-the art by introducing next generation LSAs, PSEs, smart technologies for personalized guidance for different demographic groups, dynamic evacuation processes, and a risk modelling tool from alarm to rescue including fire and flowing scenarios following an evidence based assessment & socio-technical modelling. SafePASS is proposing completely novel ways of guiding all people on board to a temporary safe place. The RCOs developed in SafePASS are cost efficient and reliable to shorten the total time of the evacuation process, guiding the occupants, identifying and tracking them, speeding up assistance by the crew, minimizing congestions and bottlenecks, increasing the confidence of persons during a crisis. Their effects can be multiplied when combined with an appropriate ship general arrangement plan and the novel LSAs. The novel LSAs enable intuitive handling of LSAs, and significantly enhances the safety of LSA preparation and operation. Additionally, SafePASS enhances the overall training process and user experience of LSA operations and maintenance and thus improving crew preparedness in case of emergencies. SafePASS system provides real-time sharing of critical information, such as passenger location and vital signs/stress, emergency incidents and evacuation routes and thus improves decision making. The dynamic allocation of passengers in muster stations and the provision of dynamic evacuation routes based on the real-time availability of escape routes significantly contributes to the reduction of the total evacuation time. Moreover, it can ensure that all passengers will be accounted for and able to reach the muster station, leading to significant time savings and minimization of fatalities. The reduced Potential Loss of Life (PLL), as well as the reduced actions required to prepare and operate the novel LSAs provide enhanced safety in comparison to conventional LSAs. Significant reduction in mustering, embarkation and total evacuation time using SafePASS has been been proven and the evaluation results from relevant stakeholders demonstrate the acceptance of SafePASS technologies.

SafePASS Prototypes

SafePASS Main Outcomes