Zelim Swift put to the test in Pembrokeshire

Zelim’s Swift man-overboard (MOB) recovery system, comprising a technology not unlike a conveyor belt for scooping people out of the water, is garnering increasing attention in recent months. It has won more business this week with the retrofit installation on Milford Haven Port Authority (MHPA) pilot vessel Picton to assess its viability in high sea states.

It is thought that the system is able to recover people from the water even when unconscious, automating a process which has claimed many lives in the past, as rescuers attempt to lean over the side of a vessel to pull a survivor to safety, only to be pulled in themselves. In tests last year on the River Forth, in Scotland, several in-water ‘casualty’ dummies were recovered in under a minute of going overboard.

But the question is whether the system can be used by vessels operating in heavy sea states and with high waves, which are very likely to accompany a survival scenario. Zelim and MHPA intend to test this principle with the installation over the course of three months, with the installation on Picton.

The Port of Milford Haven, in Pembrokeshire, Wales, is thought to be the ideal location for the tests, with frequent heavy seas and Atlantic swells.

“Demonstrations last year were a huge success, but the MHPA wanted to retrofit Swift to an operational vessel to validate its capability in heavy weather before making any procurement decisions,” said Andy Tipping, Zelim’s business development director. “Pilot boats present a particular challenge… we have all seen YouTube videos of pilots falling into the sea as they board vessels. This is one of the most dangerous jobs in the maritime industry.”