Edinburgh based sea survival company Zelim, has launched the world’s first unmanned/manned remotely controlled person-in-water rescue vessel.
GUARDIAN is an 8.4m long, 2.5m wide aluminium hulled next generation fast rescue craft (FRC) which has been designed for rapid deployment from a craft to recover both conscious and unconscious man-overboard casualties.
The GUARDIAN vessel has been under development for four years with input from the UK’s Maritime and Coastguard Agency and the US Coastguard and incorporates Zelim’s type approved SWIFT rapid rescue conveyor and ZOE, Zelim’s intelligent detection software for optimising search.
The vessel, which uses an AI-based person-in-water detection and alerting system, can operate in maritime conditions that conventional manned recovery solutions would find challenging or too dangerous to deploy.
During a MOB event, GUARDIAN is lowered into the water by way of a ship’s existing LARS davit installed at deck level.
An unmanned, or lean manned GUARDIAN, may permit a launch in conditions beyond those normally accepted.
Peter Lloyd, Zelim director of search and rescue
Once in the water, an Alamarin AJ285 waterjet powered by a single Bukh VGT 400hp motor propels the rescue vessel at a rate of 30-plus knots towards the casualty. GUARDIAN’S range is 15nm with a six-hour endurance.
As it nears the person(s) in the water, the FRC lowers the integrated SWIFT to recover the casualty using a specially designed rescue conveyor. Two casualties can be recovered simultaneously.
“Sea survival is hugely dependent on the time it takes to retrieve individuals from the water, but inclement weather can prohibit the launch of manned rescue craft and lives are needlessly lost,” said Zelim founder and innovator Sam Mayall.
“When rescue vessels approach, many survivors simply don’t have the strength to pull themselves to safety. This is even more difficult when they are unconscious or unresponsive. GUARDIAN has been designed to ensure more people can be rescued in the harshest of weather conditions.”
Peter Lloyd, Zelim’s director of search and rescue, added: “The decision to launch any rescue asset is always a balance between the risk to the rescuers and the probability of success.
“An unmanned, or lean manned GUARDIAN, may permit a launch in conditions beyond those normally accepted.”
GUARDIAN can hold up to 11 people.
