05 August 2025
The Growing Risk Landscape at Sea
For vessel owners and operators, the risk of a man overboard (MOB) incident, a collision, or a security breach is more than just an immediate emergency – it has wide-reaching implications across a myriad of business areas, including legal, operational, and financial. Proactively mitigating these risks not only enhances safety, but also safeguards the continuity, integrity and reputation of maritime operations.
Situational awareness-type incidents, such as MOBs, are rare, but they are high-impact events where every second counts. Delays in detection or tracking can mean the difference between life and death.
Meanwhile, vessel collisions – often caused by human error or limited situational awareness – remain one of the most expensive and complex classes of marine insurance claims.
And then, there’s the war risks associated with an illegal boarding or other security breach while navigating the Gulf of Aden or the Red Sea, for example.
As maritime operations grow in scale, complexity and automation, these risks are becoming harder to manage. Traditional lookout practices and radar systems are often insufficient, especially in low-visibility environments, congested sea lanes, areas of conflict, or in uncrewed operations.
A Technology Stack for Safer Seas
Zelim has developed a modular suite of technologies to meet these critical challenges, designed for a safer and smarter maritime industry.
At its core is ZOE, Zelim’s AI-powered detection and tracking system, originally developed for unmanned rescue vessels. Today, ZOE delivers real-time, 360° visual awareness, detecting MOB incidents, strengthening lookout capabilities, and triggering instant security alerts.
- ZOE MOB: Detects and tracks persons in water in real time, dramatically reducing response time and search effort.
- ZOE Watchkeeper: Supports the bridge team with persistent, autonomous hazard detection and lookout assistance.
- ZOE Shield: Adds perimeter surveillance and security detection for uncrewed or vulnerable operations.
- Swift: A remotely operated rescue conveyor for rapid and safe MOB recovery, often used in conjunction with ZOE detection.
“If a machine can detect a person, it can detect anything: obstacles, hazards, intruders. That’s the foundation of maritime autonomy.”
Sam Mayall, CEO, Zelim
With machine learning trained on over 7 million annotated maritime images, ZOE reliably identifies people, objects and hazards – even when partially submerged, low-profile, or radar-invisible.
These tools can be deployed individually or integrated as part of Zelim’s broader autonomy stack for crewed and uncrewed vessels.
ZOE: Engineered For Uncertainty
Detecting and tracking a person or object in the water from a moving vessel in poor visibility is one of the most complex problems in maritime safety.
ZOE solves this problem using a deep-learning AI engine designed specifically for the marine environment:
- Multi-frame analysis: Tracks persistence and motion over time to filter out wave crests or seabirds.
- Size estimation: Uses pixel density and camera calibration to exclude false positives.
- Multi-sensor fusion: Integrates infrared, optical, radar, and GPS data into a single awareness layer.
“A drifting casualty can be quickly lost from view. ZOE tracks them as they fall, providing geo-location data that accelerates rescue and reduces the chance of losing a life at sea.”
Sam Mayall, CEO, Zelim
Case Study: Ambassador Ambition
ZOE’s first cruise ship installation is aboard Ambition, a 1200-passenger vessel operated by Ambassador Cruise Lines. The system includes daylight and infrared cameras covering the vessel perimeter, enabling automatic alerts when a person goes overboard, and continuous tracking until rescue.
Ambition’s ZOE system also serves as an AI-powered lookout, detecting small, hard-to-spot obstacles and enhancing navigational safety in all conditions. ZOE has already passed Lloyd’s Register Phase I & II type approval with a 98% detection rate and is undergoing final certification to ISO 21195 standards.
“ZOE gives us peace of mind. In the rare event of a MOB incident, the bridge is alerted instantly, and the casualty is tracked until recovered.”
Nick Hughes, COO, Ambassador Cruise Lines
Case Study: Valaris Stavanger
ZOE’s first offshore oil and gas deployment is aboard Valaris Stavanger, a jack-up drilling rig operating in the North Sea. The system includes a ring of daylight and infrared cameras installed around the rig perimeter, enabling automatic alerts when a person falls overboard and continuous tracking through to recovery.
The Stavanger installation features a custom version of ZOE MOB, adapted for fixed rig operations in harsh offshore conditions. On detection, ZOE instantly sends a live video stream and short clip to the radio operator, along with geo-location data to support immediate rescue response. The system operates fully onboard, with no reliance on external connectivity.
“ZOE gives us a 360-degree view of our surroundings. If someone goes overboard, we’ll be alerted within seconds, which could reduce our response time and improve the chances of a successful rescue.”
Glen Spearman, Offshore Installation Manager, Valaris Stavanger
A New Standard for Safety and Risk Management
Ship collisions remain among the most expensive and complex marine insurance claims. While total losses have declined over time, the value of collision-related claims has increased significantly due to vessel size, cargo value, and port infrastructure costs.
According to industry data, human error contributes to around 75–90% of marine claims, with navigation and lookout failures being major factors.
ZOE helps mitigate this risk by providing continuous detection and audit-ready logs. It integrates multi-sensor data into one cohesive awareness layer, reducing reliance on human observation and alerting crews earlier to navigational threats.
This has major implications for insurers and underwriters:
- Improved underwriting through verified AI performance data
- Lower premiums for operators that reduce risk exposure
- Faster claims resolution via onboard incident logs
- Support for autonomous and semi-autonomous certification
“If AI can reduce undetected threats and issue verified warnings, we can start talking about differentiated risk premiums. It’s a game-changer. ZOE is always on, always watching.”
Sam Mayall, CEO, Zelim
ZOE is a trained observer – tireless, consistent, and getting smarter every day. From cruise ships to frigates, and offshore platforms to unmanned vessels, ZOE enables safer decisions, faster rescues, and fewer lives lost at sea.
About Zelim
Zelim is a maritime technology company based in Edinburgh, pioneering AI-enabled safety and security systems for the ocean industries.
Specialising in detection, response and automation, Zelim’s mission is to make the world’s oceans safer for people, vessels and the environment. From man overboard detection to full-stack uncrewed rescue vessels, its systems are redefining what's possible in maritime safety, security and autonomy.
Q3 2025 Marine Hull & Machinery and War Risk Market Update
Geopolitical tensions, major vessel losses, and shifting war risks reshape marine insurance, prompting market caution and heightened risk management.
The Value of Condition Monitoring to ship owners and operators
As part of our Q3 2025 Marine Hull & Machinery and War Risk Market Update, we’re pleased to feature a guest contribution from BES Group, on the growing importance of Condition Monitoring (CM) and Condition-Based Maintenance (CBM) in maritime operations.
The Walbrook Building 25 Walbrook London, EC4N 8AW
Arthur J. Gallagher (UK) Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Registered Office: The Walbrook Building, 25 Walbrook, London EC4N 8AW. Registered in England and Wales. Company Number: 119013.