In today's episode of "why the heck hasn't anyone invented this yet?!": Anhydrous foam lining and onboard sprinklers for merchant shipping.
It was only a few weeks ago that a monstrous cargo ship full of expensive luxury cars caught fire, burned itself out, and then sunk below the waves. Losses totaled in the billions of dollars.
First of all, lining the insides of a ship's hull with anhydrous foam would make it virtually unsinkable. Even if it was blown in two, the resultant debris would still have enough buoyancy to keep it above the waves.
Secondly, it is rather embarrassing that any ship would not be equipped to fight onboard fires, given that it is surrounded by an ocean full of fire suppressant. Pumping water through submerged tubes, and then pumping it back out once it had been dispersed against the fire, could very easily prevent onboard fires from growing, spreading, and destroying the ship.
Anyways, these suggestions are simply a little food for thought, as they are both low cost solutions to expensive problems.
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