Ambassador Cruise Line installs MOB detection and tracking system

Ambition, operated by Ambassador Cruise Line, is equipped with a ZOE system installation. (Credit: Zelim)

Edinburgh-based maritime safety and security technology provider, Zelim, says that its detection system, ZOE, will be installed aboard Ambassador Cruise Line’s 48,123 grt cruise ship Ambition, representing the system’s first use on a cruise vessel.

Zelim is installing its ZOE system on the 1,200-passenger cruise ship Ambition to enable detection and tracking of persons in the water in the event of a man overboard (MOB) incident.

The installation—comprising multiple infrared and daylight cameras, sensors and software to provide crews with 360-degree visibility—dramatically increases the likelihood of both spotting and recovering an MOB.

“With the safety of our passengers and crews our foremost concern we were keen to put ZOE onboard,” says Ambassador Cruise Lines’ COO Nick Hughes. “ZOE gives our passengers and crew piece of mind that in the rare event of a MOB incident bridge teams are immediately alerted to a person falling overboard, with the person tracked until rescued. It allows us to direct an immediate and rapid rescue response. What we also like about the system is that it can be used to alert our watchkeepers to hard-to-see navigational hazards.”

“The decision by Ambassador Cruise Lines to install ZOE is an important milestone in maritime safety,” says Stewart Gregory, Zelim’s Chief Operating Officer. Ambition shows the passenger ship sector there is now proven technology available that mitigates the risk of losing lives to MOB incidents, especially in rough seas and in hours of darkness.”

This, says Zelim, is particularly important for the cruise sector since the U.S. Vessel Security and Safety Act (2010) requires passenger vessels “to integrate technology that can be used for detecting passengers who have fallen overboard.” With advances in AI technology this is now possible.

“Man overboard detection is an emergent technology, but most existing solutions focus solely on detecting the fall, not on tracking the person in the water,” says Doug Lothian, Zelim’s CTO. “Without continuous tracking, a drifting casualty can be quickly lost from view as the vessel moves, making a successful rescue far more challenging.

“One of the biggest challenges following an incident is determining exactly when and where a person entered the water. ZOE’s AI-powered detection models not only identify and classify a person as they fall, automatically alerting the bridge, but continuously tracks them as they drift. It provides precise geo-location data, enabling bridge teams to coordinate and accelerate the rescue effort with greater accuracy.”

ZOE has been undergoing independent testing aboard the Ambition to meet the ISO 21195 standard for the detection of persons falling overboard. The technology also recently passed Lloyd’s Register (LR) Phase I & II type approval tests with a 98% MOB detection rate.

“First and second phase trials have been a huge success and LR will now move ahead with Phase III of the certification process,” says Gregory. “This delivers further confidence to cruise lines that ZOE reduces the risk of persons falling overboard going undetected and lost at sea. ZOE represents the single greatest technological advancement to reducing lives lost to man overboard incidents.”

While MOB detection and tracking are ZOE’s primary focus, Ambassador Cruise Lines’ decision to install additional forward-facing cameras points to the technology’s wider multi-functional capabilities.

“ZOE’s advanced cameras and sensors also identify navigational hazards such as semi-submerged objects, vessels of all sizes, and low radar cross-section threats that pose risks to safety and ship security. This enhances overall situational awareness for watchkeepers and bridge teams,” says Lothian.