Marine Situational Awareness Technologies
Read More
Marine Situational Awareness Technologies
By : Joy Basu | November - 2025
Marine Situational Awareness Technologies
In the maritime world, the bridge isn’t what it used to be. Decisions once made using binoculars and basic radar sweeps are now influenced by AI vision, smart sensors, and shore-linked intelligence. Situational awareness has evolved from human vigilance to tech-backed certainty because vessels today increasingly operate in congested seas, complex weather conditions, and also in autonomous modes.
For shipowners and operators, this shift is critical. Better awareness implies fewer incidents, fewer delays, fewer claims, and stronger fuel efficiency. It gives them the confidence that:
- The vessel “knows” what surrounds it
- Threats are detected before they cause harm
- COLREG rules are consistently followed
- Evidence exists when regulators or insurers ask
Modern situational awareness provides a unified, reliable, and real-time picture of fleets, so that every decision, whether made on board or from the shore, is timely, accurate, and supported by evidence.
Navigational Awareness Technologies in Focus
The building blocks of marine situational understanding today include layers of complementary sensors and logic:
1) Marine Radars
Used for detecting other vessels and various obstacles, short-range S-band radars and long-range X-band radars map land, buoys, and traffic even in heavy rain, dense fog, or darkness.
2) Automatic Identification System (AIS)
As a tracking and communication system, AIS uses a very high frequency (VHF) radio transponder to broadcast a ship's identity, course, speed, and destination. It offers predictive motion and collision logic capabilities to ship operators.
3) Electro-Optical (EO) Camera Systems
EO cameras detect targets invisible to radar or AIS. These could be small crafts, floating debris, dark hulls, unlit boats, and anti-ship missiles. They can incorporate multiple sensors and integrate with other ship systems to provide detailed visual data for tracking and evidence collection.
4) Electronic Navigational Charts (ENCs) & Pilotage Decision-Support
An Electronic Chart Display and Information System equipped with ENCs provides robust decision support to pilots. It has dynamic digital overlays fused with live sensor inputs to show traffic lanes, Traffic Separation Scheme (TSS), under-keel clearance, and no-go zones. Its interactive, comprehensive visuals enhance safety and efficiency.
5) AR-Assisted Bridge Displays
Bridge displays supported by immersive technologies augment the real-world view of a ship’s bridge with data tags, danger vectors, CPA/TCPA cues, and COLREG-aware overlays on the line of sight. They boost situational awareness and reduce the possibilities of human error by minimising the need for cross-reference between screens.
6) COLREG Logic Engines
COLREG logic engines are rule-based decision modules that interpret live navigation data to provide compliant manoeuvre recommendations. While they don’t “steer” a ship, they are crucial for remote and semi-autonomous operations because of their ability to prevent human or autonomous logic from violating collision-avoidance rules at sea.
Camera AI by Smart Ship© Hub
Traditional awareness relies on what instruments report. Camera AI adds what the human eye often misses, especially when no one is looking or visibility is poor.
Smart Ship© Hub’s marine-grade camera stack combines optical feeds (day and night), thermal signatures, and contextual rules to identify, classify, and flag risks before they become reportable incidents.
Here’s where it helps ship operators and engineers:
- Small-target detection: Uncovers fishing skiffs, kayaks, buoys, and debris that some radars miss
- Low-contrast/low-light awareness: Works consistently through night operations, haze, rain, glare, and tunnel vision during human watch fatigue
- Proximity & encroachment cues: Alerts crews when another object behaves abnormally or enters a risk corridor
- Rule-aware recommendations: Overlays COLREG-aligned cues without replacing human judgment
- Event evidence & traceability: Provides a video-anchored audit trail for incident reconstruction and compliance
Our Camera AI acts as a second bridge team. It is not a replacement for watchkeepers but a digital pair of eyes that does not blink or get distracted. It addresses the blind spots of radar/AIS and delivers the same situational truth to bridge and shore in real-time. It also lays the foundation for future autonomy at sea.
Benefits and Business Impact for Shipowners
Integrating Camera AI into maritime operations offers shipowners a transformative approach to safety, compliance, and operational efficiency.
Safety Improvement and Risk Mitigation
With its real-time monitoring, Camera AI spots hazards such as unsafe crew behaviour, PPE violations, and early smoke detection in machinery spaces – enabling prompt intervention and reducing accident risk onboard.
Greater Compliance and Operational Oversight
Continuous monitoring within and around a vessel ensures adherence to safety protocols, port state control (PSC) inspections, flag state regulations, and insurance standards. This strengthens compliance, fosters trust with charterers and insurers, and minimises operational risk exposure.
Operational Efficiency and Data-Driven Decision Making
AI-generated insights help to optimise vessel operations, maintenance decisions, routing and resource allocation. The data-driven approach refines efficiency and overall fleet performance while reducing costs.
A notable example of Camera AI's impact is its role in preventing on-board hazards. In one prominent case, the system detected an oily rag left on the main engine cylinder head – a situation that could have led to a fire. This early detection enabled quick corrective action, highlighting the system's efficacy in mitigating risks before they escalate.
Implementation Considerations
Although it may seem like a basic hardware decision, adopting a cognitive camera requires strategic work on integration, connectivity, user training, and governance. Shipowners must know how new sensors work with existing radar/AIS systems, whether current bandwidth supports live video and alerts, and how crews will use AI insights. Data storage, retention, and access policies must also align with regulatory frameworks, especially for video evidence.
Smart Ship© Hub simplifies this rollout by providing a turnkey solution for installation, remote configuration, and secure cloud integration. Our AI dashboards are designed to ensure actionable visibility – for onshore and offshore teams – without operational friction, enabling confident adoption at scale across fleets.
Raising the Bar for Maritime Safety
Situational awareness is essential to detect other vessels and hazards that can affect a ship. However, it now involves setups that turn live context into swift, confident decisions.
As the bridge becomes more data-aware and is supported by AI, Smart Ship© Hub has made its Camera AI central to safer, compliant and more efficient navigation. We ensure the “unseen” is visible to bring control over risk, reputation and operational outcomes. To know more about maritime technologies, write to us at info@smartshiphub.com
Trending Blogs
Featured
Marine Situational Awareness Technologies
Featured
From Fuel Efficiency to Profitability: The Next Generation of Fleet Performance Benchmarks
Featured
Listening to the Pulse of Your Vessel: The Need for Vibration Monitoring
Featured
Deck Diaries 4: My Take On Autonomous Vessels & Data Quality
Digital platform with actionable insights for optimizing performance, augmenting your sustainability & growth goals.