Design and Development of an IoT-Based High-Temperature Monitoring System for Early Fire Detection in Ship Engines Using Thermocouple

Suardi Suardi (Department of Naval Architecture, Kalimantan Institute of Technology, Balikpapan, 76127, Indonesia)
Syahrul Gunawan Sitanggang (Department of Naval Architecture, Kalimantan Institute of Technology, Balikpapan, 76127, Indonesia)
Faisal Mahmuddin (Department of Marine Engineering, Engineering Faculty, Hasanuddin University, Gowa 92171, Indonesia)
Abdul Basiq Zainal Abidin (Department of Marine Engineering, Engineering Faculty, Hasanuddin University, Gowa 92171, Indonesia)
Aung Ye Kyaw (Department of Marine Administration, Ministry of Transport and Communications, Myanmar)
A Ahmad Fauzan Ihsan (Department of Informatics Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Hasanuddin University, Gowa 92171, Indonesia)
Novita Vadina Marta Ria (Power Plant Engineering Technology, Faculty of Vocational Studies, State University Of Malang, Malang, Indonesia)

Indonesian Journal of Maritime Technology or abbreviated (ISMATECH)
Vol. 4 No. 2 (2026): Volume 4 Issue 2, December 2026

The operational safety of ship engines is a vital aspect of the maritime industry. A major risk threatening vessel safety is fire caused by engine overheating. To mitigate this risk, a real-time temperature monitoring system capable of providing early warnings when temperatures reach dangerous thresholds is required. This research aims to design an Internet of Things (IoT)-based temperature monitoring system that tracks ship engine temperatures in real-time and transmits data to users via the Blynk IoT application. The system utilizes a K-type thermocouple temperature sensor connected to a MAX6675 module for accurate temperature readings. The sensor is interfaced with an Arduino Uno microcontroller, which transmits temperature data via serial communication to a NodeMCU ESP8266. The NodeMCU acts as the transmitter, sending data to the Blynk Cloud platform over a Wi-Fi connection. Additionally, the system features an I2C LCD to display real-time temperature readings and a buzzer to provide an audible alert if the temperature exceeds the set threshold. Test results demonstrate that the system effectively monitors ship engine temperatures in real-time, triggers a buzzer alert during overheating events, and consistently transmits temperature data to the Blynk application. Consequently, this system enhances vessel operational safety by effectively providing temperature information and early warnings to the crew.