Reykjavík, Iceland | December 17, 2025 – In a move set to transform the landscape of digital navigation and vessel management, Hefring Marine, the Icelandic leader in intelligent maritime analytics, and SEA.AI, the pioneer in AI-powered maritime vision, have announced a strategic partnership. The collaboration integrates SEA.AI’s high-precision machine vision with Hefring Marine’s Intelligent Marine Assistance System (IMAS), creating a unified ecosystem that addresses the industry’s most pressing safety and efficiency challenges.
Bridging the Visual and Operational Gap
While traditional systems like Radar and AIS are industry staples, they often struggle to detect “non-cooperative” hazards, such as floating debris, unlit buoys, small wooden craft, or persons overboard. SEA.AI bridges this gap using a combination of optical and thermal sensors processed by deep-learning algorithms.
By merging this real-time visual data with Hefring Marine’s IMAS, which analyzes vessel motion, engine data, and environmental conditions—operators now have access to a “complete digital brain” for their vessels. This integration doesn’t just show the captain what is in the water; it provides actionable intelligence on how to navigate those hazards while optimizing for fuel efficiency and crew comfort.
A New Standard for Performance and Sustainability
The partnership arrives at a critical juncture for the maritime sector, as companies face mounting pressure to comply with stringent environmental regulations and rising operational costs.
- Situational Awareness: Real-time detection and identification of objects day and night, even in adverse weather.
- Operational Optimization: IMAS utilizes edge computing to provide real-time guidance on speed and heading, which has been shown to reduce fuel consumption and CO₂ emissions by up to 20%.
- Asset Protection: By mitigating “wave slamming” (impacts reduced by up to 87% in some configurations) and avoiding collisions, the integrated system significantly extends vessel lifespans and reduces insurance premiums.
“At Hefring Marine, our mission is to empower vessel operators by enhancing safety, efficiency, and sustainability through intelligent technology,” said Karl Birgir Björnsson, CEO of Hefring Marine. “This partnership with SEA.AI allows us to offer our clients an even more comprehensive solution that combines operational intelligence with advanced collision avoidance capabilities.”
The collaboration unites two of Europe’s most decorated marine-tech innovators. Hefring Marine recently received the Icelandic Innovation Award 2025, while SEA.AI’s Watchkeeper system was honored at the Cannes Yachting Festival for its breakthrough in maritime safety.
Marcus Warrelmann, CEO of SEA.AI, emphasized the synergy of the two platforms: “By joining forces with such an advanced analytics platform, we’re creating an integrated ecosystem that addresses the full spectrum of maritime operational needs. Our combined technologies will help vessel operators navigate more safely while optimizing their performance in ways that were previously impossible.“
Key Features of the Integrated Solution
| Feature | SEA.AI Machine Vision | Hefring Marine IMAS |
| Primary Function | Object detection & collision avoidance | Performance analytics & safety guidance |
| Sensing Tech | Thermal & Optical (day/night) | IMU, GPS, NMEA2000, Engine data |
| Key Benefit | Identifies hazards Radar misses | Reduces fuel use, CO₂ & wave impact |
| Integration | Real-time visual overlay | Decision support & fleet reporting |
SEA.AI Machine Vision: The “Eyes” of the System
- Primary Function: Specialized in advanced object detection and collision avoidance, focusing on hazards that are often invisible to traditional equipment.
- Sensing Technology: Utilizes a combination of high-resolution thermal and optical sensors to provide clear visibility across 360°, effective both day and night.
- Key Benefit: Effectively identifies “non-cooperative” hazards that Radar and AIS often miss, such as floating debris, small wooden craft, unlit buoys, and persons in the water.
- Integration: Provides a real-time visual overlay (Augmented Reality) on bridge displays, tablets, or smartphones, giving crews immediate situational clarity.
Hefring Marine IMAS: The “Brain” of the System
- Primary Function: Acts as an operational intelligence platform, delivering real-time performance analytics and safety-based decision support.
- Sensing Technology: Processes data from an array of sources, including IMU (Inertial Measurement Unit), GPS, NMEA2000, and engine data, using edge computing for instant analysis.
- Key Benefit: Significantly reduces operational costs and risks—demonstrated to lower fuel consumption and CO2 emissions by up to 20% and reduce physical wave slamming impacts by up to 87%.
- Integration: Focuses on decision support and fleet reporting, providing captains with speed guidance and managers with onshore data insights via the IMAS Console.
By merging these technologies, the partnership creates a cohesive ecosystem where visual detection (SEA.AI) informs operational response (Hefring Marine). For example, when SEA.AI detects a hazard, Hefring’s IMAS can provide immediate guidance on the safest speed and heading to navigate the situation while maintaining fuel efficiency and protecting the vessel’s hull from impact.
About SEA.AI
SEA.AI has been a pioneer in Machine Vision for maritime applications since 2018. The company is dedicated to making Machine Vision the new standard for safety and situational awareness in the maritime sector. SEA.AI’s product range includes fully integrated systems that combine optical and thermal sensors with artificial intelligence to enhance safety and security at sea, as well as their maritime machine vision solution, Brain, which is compatible with third-party cameras.
SEA.AI systems are designed to quickly detect and identify floating objects, providing the crew with real-time information. The technology is available in various versions tailored to the specific needs of recreational, commercial, and governmental vessels, including unmanned surface vehicles (USVs).
Hefring Marine
Hefring Marine is an Icelandic marine technology company that deploys AI, sensor data and edge computing to empower vessel operators and fleet managers to make informed, data-driven decisions in real time to enhance crew safety, fuel efficiency and vessel sustainability. Hefring Marine’s IMAS® delivers real-time decision support, enhancing safety, fuel efficiency, as well as data analytics, monitoring and reporting. With a presence across various workboat sectors, Hefring Marine helps customers improve safety, efficiency and improve data-driven performance.
Source: Hefring Marine