Together with the Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency (BSH), the sea rescuers have carried out extensive testing of modern rescue technology on the high seas.
In order to achieve practical results, searchlights, night vision devices and lighting systems were tested under realistic conditions. The findings will be incorporated into research and development projects.
The BSH’s survey, wreck search and research vessel “Atair” and the rescue cruisers “Nis Randers” and “Hermann Marwede” from the German Maritime Search and Rescue Service (DGzRS) were deployed. They were supported by the Navy’s Naval Air Wing 5 and the Bundeswehr’s Wehrtechnische Dienststelle (WTD) 71. The trials were carried out in close cooperation between the BSH, DGzRS, industry partners, the Navy and the Bundeswehr.
According to the sea rescuers, the data collected can be used to further develop and optimize future maritime solutions. Among other things, it will be used for research into autonomous shipping and improving collision avoidance, for example for the “BZero” project for a bridge that is partially free of guards. They also support standardization work and contribute to increasing safety at sea in the long term.
“Tests in practice are essential in order to test the effectiveness of maritime safety and rescue technology under real conditions,” say the sea rescuers. “Laboratory experiments alone are not enough, as they can never realistically reproduce factors such as wave movements, weather conditions and lighting conditions. In particular, the parallel presence of environmental influences cannot be reliably reconstructed in the laboratory. The research cruise of the ‘Atair’ therefore enabled an exemplary investigation under challenging conditions: on the North Sea, with a new moon, wind force 5 to 6 and darkness.”
The participants pursued several goals with the tests, including improving searchlights, working on AI-supported object recognition (in particular by creating training data for AI systems) and optimizing the visibility of rescue equipment. All participants were satisfied with the outcome, especially as the weather provided the necessary conditions.
