Maritime technology firm Orca AI has launched Co-Captain, a new capability in its operational platform that enables vessels to share data in real time.
Creating what they are calling the world’s first “Waze of the seas,” the system allows vessels to anticipate risks, respond to real-time events, and navigate with greater confidence and efficiency.
Connecting the growing network of 1,000 vessels already equipped with Orca AI technology,
including vessels from Maran Tankers, MSC, Seaspan, and NYK, Co-Captain enables each vessel to be a “sensor and source of shared awareness.”
Verified alerts are distributed fleetwide based on real conditions, supported by external data such as weather, vessel traffic, and regulatory updates.
Built on Orca AI’s computer vision and data fusion capabilities, Co-Captain combines these inputs into a layer of “collective intelligence,” providing a consistently updated and dynamic picture of each vessel’s route and surroundings.
Each Orca AI-equipped vessel continually detects and shares information about high-risk targets, including non-AIS vessels such as fishing vessels, floating hazards and small boats.
The fully anonymised data is uploaded to the cloud and then processed in real-time to trigger alerts, including congested waters, severe weather, GNSS interference, piracy zones, environmental compliance, and navigational hazards.
Yarden Gross, CEO and co-founder of Orca AI, notes: “This could very well be the most accurate crowdsourced navigational engine in shipping.
“Every addition to the fleet strengthens that shared awareness, enhancing how ships anticipate risk and support one another. Given that 90% of world trade goes by sea, this kind of collaborative navigation is no longer optional – it’s a safety, environmental, and security imperative.”
Orca AI emphasises that Co-Captain gives vessel operators the ability to make faster, better-informed decisions, enhancing safety and driving business efficiencies by helping vessels avoid costly delays, optimise fuel consumption, and minimise incident-related downtime.
“What we’re building is a living, evolving ecosystem. “Each vessel becomes a key link in a safety chain that keeps crews connected and ahead of risk,” adds Gross.
Currently, Orca AI has more than 100 million nautical miles of data collected and is constantly expanding the dataset across its fleet.
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