Zelim, the Edinburgh based sea survival innovator, has today officially launched the world's first unmanned/manned remotely controlled person-in-water rescue vessel.
GUARDIAN, an 8.4m long, 2.5 wide aluminium hulled Next Generation Fast Rescue Craft(FRC), was unveiled to the international maritime industry for the first time at the SMM Trade Fair, which is taking place this week in Hamburg, Germany.
Specifically designed for rapid deployment from a ship to recover both conscious and unconscious man-overboard casualties, the GUARDIAN FRC can operate in maritime conditions that conventional manned recovery solutions would find challenging or too dangerous to deploy.
Taking four years’ research and development, with input from the UK’s Maritime & Coastguard Agency and the US Coastguard GUARDIAN incorporates Zelim’s type approved SWIFT rapid rescue conveyor and ZOE, Zelim’s intelligent detection software for optimising search.
During a MOB event, GUARDIAN is instantaneously lowered into the water by way of a ship’s existing LARS davit installed at deck level.  Once in the water, an Alamarin AJ285 waterjet powered by a single Bukh VGT 400HP motor speeds the rescue vessel along at a rate of 30-plus knots towards the casualty. GUARDIAN’S range is 15nmiles with a six-hour endurance.
As it nears the person(s) in the water, the FRC lowers the integrated SWIFT and slowly heads towards the casualty who is then recovered from the water by the rescue conveyor, which is specifically designed to grip and recover immersed casualties, whilst minimising the risk to casualties from the loss of hydrostatic pressure. SWIFT can pull two survivors to safety simultaneously, minimising the risk for rescuers.

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