Fiber-Optic Linear Heat Detection on Open RoRo Decks — Where It Wins
Distributed fiber-optic sensing (DAS/DTS) covers a deck-length cable as one continuous temperature sensor. On open ro-ro decks, it solves the line-of-sight problem cameras have.
Distributed fiber-optic temperature sensing (DTS) and distributed acoustic sensing (DAS) turn a single fiber cable into a continuous temperature or strain measurement along its length. On open ro-ro decks, the technology covers ground that point-source detectors cannot. The FIRESAFE II programme and vendor field data both back this up.
What the technology does well
- Continuous coverage along the cable run — no blind spots between point sensors.
- Immune to environmental issues that defeat optical sensors (smoke obscuration, condensation on lenses).
- A single interrogator unit reads kilometres of fiber — installed cost scales with cable, not with sensors.
- Intrinsically safe — no electrical power along the sensing length.
Where it is the wrong primary
- Spatial resolution is metres, not centimetres. Per-vehicle localisation is approximate.
- Temperature resolution at distance is modest — small per-vehicle deltas can be missed.
- On enclosed decks with dense vehicle packing, the fiber cannot run close to every pack.
Where it complements the per-vehicle grid
On weather decks and open vehicle spaces, distributed fiber as the primary and per-vehicle thermal as a deeper-deck secondary is a defensible architecture. The opposite split — fiber on enclosed decks, grid on weather decks — is the worse fit.
Continue the thread
Thermal Cameras vs Thermal Grids — Which Wins on a Cargo Deck?
Both can image temperature. They fail in different places. On a cargo deck the failure modes are what determine the answer.
Weather Deck vs Enclosed Deck — Two Different Detection Problems
SOLAS II-2/20 covers weather-deck suppression. The detection problem on the same deck is materially different from a deck below — wind, solar, and visibility all matter.