Seasoned mariner, Sam Mayall, founded Zelim in 2017. Zelim is a technology startup pioneering remote search and rescue solutions. It adhere to the highest safety standards, prioritizing the preservation of human life.
AI-Powered Technology
Zelim recently partnered with Ocean Winds to trial its AI-based overboard detection technology, ZOE. It conducted at a floating offshore wind farm in Portugal. ZOE utilizes CCTV or drone footage to detect and track people, vessels, and other objects in real time. Its accuracy reaches 90% and continually improving with testing.
“Finding someone in distress at sea often relies on luck. ZOE acts as a safety net around offshore assets. If someone falls overboard, it will quickly detect them, and send alerts for rapid and efficient rescue,” explains Doug Lothian, Zelim’s CTO.
Autonomous Rescue Vessels
To complement AI-powered detection, Zelim is also developing autonomous rescue vessels capable of independently rescuing people overboard. These uncrewed vessels can be launched from a mother ship or at offshore wind farms.
The nine-person capacity vessel features a unique conveyor system called ‘Swift’. Swift pulls casualties onboard without human assistance. It can lift a person from the water in just 30 seconds. Besides that, it can also be fitted to existing crewed rescue vessels. Zelim is currently developing it for larger vessels. Trials of the conveyor system are ongoing with Milford Haven Port Authority (MHPA). MHPA is one of the UK’s largest energy ports.
Collaborations and Future Developments
Zelim is collaborating with several offshore energy companies to refine their AI technology. It uses over five million images of real people in the water to train the machine learning model. Trials like the one with Ocean Winds in Portugal believe it could help train and enhance the startup’s detection model.
The trials act as a stepping stone towards fully remote-controlled offshore search and rescue systems. It has the potential to save lives and improve the safety of offshore workers. Because of that, AI technology and autonomous rescue vessels like those developed by Zelim are worth watching and supporting.
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