Is 2026 the year that man-overboard detection finally comes of age?
By Mike Collier, VP of Cruise and Defence at Zelim
In the cruise sector alone, typically 18 to 22 people across the globe go overboard from ships every year. The total number of man-overboard (MOB) incidents across all sectors is much higher.
Without a reliable, swift way of detecting a MOB incident, there could be significant delays before crew or rescue authorities realise that someone is missing – which critically reduces the chances of a successful rescue. With 70-80% these incidents resulting in the loss of life, the cruise industry has a moral imperative to prevent them wherever possible.
In tackling the issue of MOB incidents, there have been several factors that have hindered progress over the years. It is worth having a brief look back at the conditions that have led us to this point.
In 2010 President Obama signed the Cruise Vessel Safety and Security Act into law, stating that ships “shall integrate technology that can be used for capturing images of passengers or detecting passengers who have fallen overboard, to the extent that such technology is available”. Unfortunately, when the Act was signed, the available technology was in its infancy, proving unreliable or inaccurate, with false alarms being all too regular.
To further complicate the picture, there was little to no regulatory enforcement of the man-overboard elements of the Act from the United States Coast Guard (USCG), meaning that vessel operators only pursued the technological solutions at their discretion.
In 2020 an ISO certification (ISO 21195:2020) was published, outlining how MOB detection systems must perform and how each system should be assessed. The ISO was developed collectively between cruise lines, technology providers, class societies and USCG. The hope was that this would assist the regulator, USCG, in defining how cruise lines could comply with the Act.
For the first time, companies that were developing MOB detection solutions then knew exactly what they had to do. They used the ISO guidance to refine and test their technologies – in order to satisfy both the cruise lines as their customers and USCG as the regulator.
The ISO certification had helped drive some long-awaited momentum, progress and alignment in the world of MOB detection. However, the global COVID-19 pandemic then struck, impacting the cruise industry beyond imagination, causing inevitable and unavoidable delays in the development and testing of MOB detection systems in 2020, and beyond.
However, even with these challenges, and limited regulatory enforcement, MOB detection is rightfully becoming the priority it should be.
Several major cruise lines have recently expressed an interest in installing MOB detection solutions, demonstrating an understanding of how powerful and critical this technology is.
The good news is that the technology has caught up too – it’s ready and waiting. There are now solutions on the market that meet the ISO standard, with highly sophisticated sensors and video imaging, setting the foundations for a step change in the installation of MOB detection systems.
One of the most advanced technologies on the market – ZOE MOB from Zelim – is a next-generation solution based on machine learning and AI. Using bespoke algorithms and software to interpret the data captured.
In a landmark moment for the industry, ZOE received official ISO 21195 certification from Lloyd’s Register this year. Despite child detection not being a requirement as part of the ISO assessment, ZOE’s certification goes above and beyond as the first MOB detection system capable of detecting both adults and children using the ISO 21195 test process. The technology has also demonstrated a very low false positive rate, gaining the trust of the vessel operators when used in practice.
By installing a system such as ZOE MOB, cruise lines can transform their MOB detection capabilities, whilst fulfilling their regulatory obligations, and finally addressing the risk of man overboard.
Investment in MOB detection technology would demonstrate cruise lines’ commitment to the safety of their passengers and crews, and would be positive progress for the industry overall, especially for the organisations that have dedicated years to campaigning for change. It also has the potential to deliver significant cost reductions for every tragic man overboard event by taking the search element out of MOB search and rescue. Instant detection minimises the significant disruption an MOB incident can cause when a Cruise ship can spend 12 hours searching.
With these types of solutions now readily available, there is no reason why 2026 cannot be the year that MOB detection technology is adopted widely across the sector. What once seemed out of reach, is now very achievable.
Every passing minute counts in tragic MOB incidents – where we are reminded that this isn’t just statistics – it’s about real people with families and friends potentially left behind. What is clear is that MOB detection with immediate alarms is the best way to truly improve to the outcomes of these incidents – and potentially save lives.
(Video: The difference ZOE MOB makes in a man overboard emergency)
