New Pilot Project Looking to Save Lives by Using AI Tech

Technology

February 2, 2024, by Adnan Memija

Ocean Winds, a 50-50 joint venture between ENGIE and EDP Renewables, and UK-based startup Zelim have joined forces for a pilot project that will test AI-enabled person detection software for floating offshore wind farms.

The project aims to test and prove Zelim’s ZOE technology, AI-enabled software dedicated to person overboard detection that is capable of finding and tracking people, vessels and other objects, in real-time and in harsh maritime conditions.

“Finding someone in distress at sea is often a game of chance, especially when you factor in waves, sea spray, darkness and how quickly people can drift in the current. Couple that with the limitations of a human searcher’s eyesight and concentration,” said Doug Lothian, Chief Technology Officer at Zelim.

During the collaboration, Zelim will offer continuous monitoring of ZOE’s live feed from cameras installed on two turbine foundations on Ocean Winds’ 25 MW WindFloat Atlantic project in Portugal.

The project will serve to train and improve the ZOE detection models while simultaneously proving its capability, Ocean Winds said.

ZOE will be detecting both people and objects in the waters surrounding the turbines, providing direct alerts to the operation and maintenance control centre in the case of a person falling overboard or an external vessel approaching the floating offshore wind farm to increase the safety and security of the technicians and assets.

“We have been developing ZOE over the last 3 years to increase certainty in search, even in challenging conditions. We see ZOE providing a safety net around offshore assets, where if somebody ends up in the water, they will be detected and an immediate alert sent, thereby enabling a fast and efficient rescue,” said Lothian.

WindFloat Atlantic consists of three platforms, each supporting one 8.4-MW Vestas turbine, which are anchored with chains to the seabed and connected to the onshore substation in the Portuguese municipality of Viana do Castelo through a 20-kilometre cable.