Smart ‘man overboard’ detection deployed on North Sea rig

Developed by Edinburgh-based Zelim, Zoe is a person in water (PIW) detection system to aid search and rescue operations at sea. It uses a suite of cameras and sensors to monitor the area around a vessel, raising alerts if someone falls overboard. Once someone is in the sea, Zoe’s software can then track them with around 97 per cent accuracy to a distance of over 330m. According to Zelim, the system has been trained on a dataset of over 4.9 million maritime rescue images across a wide range of ocean conditions. 

Zoe was deployed on the jack-up rig Valaris Stavanger in February 2024. Zelim installed a tailored solution that includes seven infrared and optical cameras placed around the vessel, allowing the entire rig to be monitored. Following an initial trial period, Valaris will evaluate the suitability of the system for use on other assets in their fleet.

“The North Sea is a harsh weather environment that can change quickly,” said Glen Spearman, offshore installation manager onboard Valaris Stavanger.