AI-powered MOB system gains Lloyd’s Register certification after 90-day trial
Speed is critical during MOB incidents on cruise ships
Zelim says its AI-enabled Zoe man-overboard (MOB) detection system has received ISO 21195:2020 certification from classification society Lloyd’s Register, following a 90-day testing period.
ISO 21195 is a global benchmark for automatic man-overboard detection systems used on passenger ships. It was developed in collaboration with the cruise industry, the US Coast Guard and technology providers, and sets out minimum performance requirements for MOB detection.
The certification follows sea trials conducted on board the cruise vessel Ambition, operated by Ambassador Cruise Line. Zelim says this is the first time ISO 21195 testing has been completed on a cruise ship.
The problem with MOB incidents on cruise ships
On commercial vessels, man-overboard (MOB) incidents are typically easier to manage because operators can require crew to wear devices that automatically trigger an alert if someone falls overboard. Cruise ships cannot impose the same requirement on passengers, so the industry relies on other systems to detect incidents as soon as they happen.
Speed is critical because even when an incident is identified quickly, rescue efforts can be complicated by sea conditions, darkness and the difficulty of turning a large vessel. On cruise ships, however, it can take hours before an alarm is raised. By then, search teams may be forced to cover areas as large as 5,000 square miles, often relying on reviewing hours of CCTV footage to confirm what happened before contacting rescue services.
Testing Zelim’s Zoe MOB system
The Zoe system was monitored continuously for 90 days while the vessel was underway. During simulated man-overboard tests, Zoe recorded a 97 per cent detection rate, exceeding the ISO minimum requirement. Child detection is not required under the ISO assessment. However, Zelim says the system is capable of detecting both adults and children using ISO 21195.
Zelim says the certification supports compliance with requirements outlined in the Cruise Vessel Security and Safety Act of 2010 (CVSSA).
Zoe uses computer vision and video analytics to provide 360-degree surveillance for crew during an MOB incident. Zelim says the system is trained on a proprietary maritime dataset of more than 9.5m annotated objects and is designed to detect man-overboard incidents as they occur.
Sam Mayall, Zelim’s founder and CEO says: “Following years of meticulous development and fine-tuning, being officially certified by Lloyd’s Register is a landmark moment for our Zoe technology, placing Zelim at the forefront of man-overboard detection.
“The 90-day testing window spanned the winter months, where our technology was exposed to challenging weather conditions and sea states. Despite this, our false alarm rate was considerably lower than the ISO minimum requirement, reinforcing Zoe as a system operators can trust and rely on, with both its detection accuracy and low false alarm rate.
“Being deployed on the Ambition vessel makes Zoe the first MOB system permanently installed on a cruise ship that is certified to ISO 21195 by Lloyd’s Register, paving the way for worldwide adoption across the cruise industry and beyond.”
Mike Collier, Zelim’s sales director, adds: “Cruise lines have been waiting for the availability of a certified system for a long time, and having the credibility of Zoe validated by Lloyd’s Register positions it as a pioneering and valuable solution to the industry’s long-standing challenge.
“With Zoe demonstrating less than one false alarm per day in field tests, it goes over and above the requirements outlined in the ISO, offering next-generation technology that has the potential to make a step-change in maritime safety.”
Claudene Sharp-Patel, global technical director at Lloyd’s Register, says: “LR is pleased to give ISO 21195 certification to Zelim for its man-overboard detection system, demonstrating it has been independently assessed against a rigorous global standard. Lloyd’s Register is first and foremost a safety organisation, and so this work sits at the heart of our purpose to provide assurance to the maritime industry and support safe operations.”
Zelim says it has now completed all three phases of ISO 21195 testing. The company is now working to expand use of Zoe within the cruise sector and in other markets, including defence.
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