Can AI cameras cut maritime deaths—or just count helmets?

Fleets install AI-powered cameras to monitor unsafe acts, but experts warn the tech may measure compliance.

FP 31 Aug 2026 ·07:45 · 5 hours ago

3 min read GLOBAL

ai safety culture — AI camera system installed on a bulk carrier, scanning for unsafe acts.

THE ESSENTIALS

100th AI camera system installed across Eastern Pacific Shipping’s 300-vessel fleet in October 2025.
Vendors claim the tech reduces incidents, but Maersk’s Alex Byelyavtsev says cameras only see actions, not competence.
AI flags missing PPE at 96% compliance, but companies demand 98%—raising concerns over Goodhart’s law.
Psychologist James Reason: "Serious failures emerge from layered conditions, not single unsafe acts."

The gap between detection and understanding, they say, risks turning safety culture into a spreadsheet. Eastern Pacific Shipping (EPS) marked a milestone in October 2025 with the 100th installation of Captain’s Eye’s AI system across its fleet of over 300 ships. By May 2026, Pacific Basin had committed to a rollout across more than 100 bulkers, while NorthStandard began subsidising ShipIn’s FleetVision package for members in December 2025. The pitch is consistent: real-time alerts for unsafe acts, fewer incidents, and stronger safety cultures. Yet Alex Byelyavtsev, a master marine with…

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