MARSS, a company that develops innovative marine and land-based systems for asset protection and life-saving solutions, has won the Best Safety Product of the Year at this year’s Safety at Sea Awards 2018 on Oct.18 in London.
MARSS won for their automated Man Overboard Detection and Tracking System – MOBtronic.
MOBtronic is a multi-sensor detection and tracking system that through multiple radars simultaneously monitors the ship wall, detecting and tracking falling objects. The system creates a virtual shield around a vessel which automatically detects and classifies a man-overboard event and supports rescue and recovery efforts.
MOBtronic consists of small marinized pods that are strategically positioned to cover the volume around an entire vessel or platform. The pods feature a patented configuration of sensors that notify crew when a man-overboard event occurs, and are designed to minimize false alarms and operate even in harshest environments.
Using a combination of multi-sensor data and MARSS proprietary software, MOBtronic differentiates a genuine event from false positive detections caused by birds, breaking waves and other objects. The system does not require wearable tags, which could be removed, either intentionally or unintentionally. Alerts, live tracking and video playback are displayed on the MOBtronic user interface to aid crew in managing SAR operations and to analyze a MOB incident.
MOBtronic evolved from a European Union research program with over 7,000 test jumps, extensive sea trials and industry participation over the last five years. The system is already installed on Royal New Zealand Navy vessels and operational in the Southern Ocean.
The Safety at Sea Award was accepted by Rob Balloch, Senior VP Sales at MARSS who said, “It is a great honor for MARSS to be recognized in this way. We work hard to ensure that MOBtronic is the very best product it can be, because lives are at stake and we take that responsibility very seriously. So, to be awarded the Safety at Sea, Best Safety Product of the Year, over such tough competition in this group is simply wonderful for us, and a testimony to the dedication and ingenuity of our team and all the other organizations that have contributed to the success of bringing this important product from the drawing board to saving lives at sea.”
