Orca AI, known for its innovations in maritime technology, has introduced a revolutionary feature called Co-Captain.
This new addition to its operational platform enables vessels to share and receive navigational data in real-time, enhancing their ability to handle sudden events and identify potential hazards, thereby navigating more assuredly.
Expanding fleet of connected vessels
Co-Captain connects a rapidly growing network of 1,000 vessels equipped with Orca AI
Co-Captain connects a rapidly growing network of 1,000 vessels equipped with Orca AI, with plans for further expansion.
It allows each ship to function both as a sensor and a source of information, sharing verified alerts based on current conditions, enriched with external data such as weather patterns, vessel traffic, and regulatory updates.
Using Orca AI’s advanced computer-vision technology, Co-Captain amalgamates these varied inputs into a unified intelligence network, providing a dynamic overview of each ship's journey to proactively manage risks.
Crowdsourced navigation innovation
"This could very well be the most accurate crowdsourced navigational engine in shipping," commented Yarden Gross, CEO and Co-Founder of Orca AI.
According to Gross, increasing the number of vessels in the network enhances shared situational awareness, which is becoming essential given that 90% of global trade is conducted by sea. This collective approach to navigation is essential for safety, environmental considerations, and security.
Reliable global detection network
Each vessel equipped with Orca AI is a vital part of a secure global network that continuously identifies high-risk targets, including those not detectable by AIS, like fishing boats and small watercraft, as well as navigational hazards.
Data collected is processed in the cloud, leading to timely alerts for specific issues such as congestion, GPS anomalies, and adverse weather, which are then communicated to vessels on affected routes. These alerts enable crews to adjust their sailing plans proactively, maintaining safety and operational control.
Tailored route-based notifications
Co-Captain provides vessels with real-time, route-specific notifications about:
- Congested waters, allowing for early adjustments to speed or course.
- Severe weather information, including updated readings on visibility and sea conditions.
- GNSS interference alerts that advise on alternative navigation methods and areas prone to signal issues.
- High-risk piracy zones, prompting increased security measures.
- Environmental compliance updates, such as whale sighting alerts and protected zones, ensuring regulatory adherence.
- Navigational hazards, like misplaced buoys or ice, with updates on temporarily closed routes.
Delivering financial benefits
In addition to improving safety and compliance, Co-Captain offers tangible financial advantages. By helping ships avoid costly delays, optimise fuel use, and minimise downtime, the system enhances operational efficiency, translating into significant return on investment as more vessels join the network.
Advancing situational awareness
With data gathered from over 100 million nautical miles, Orca AI has created a robust basis for future situational awareness capabilities. As Gross explains, "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."
This accumulation of data enhances the system's detection precision and predictive capabilities, further securing maritime activities.
Maritime technology pioneer Orca AI has launched Co-Captain, a groundbreaking new function in its operational platform. For the first time, vessels can share data with each other, in real time, to optimise navigation.
This new capability allows them to be better prepared for real-time events and emerging risks, anticipate hazards early and navigate with higher confidence.
Fast expanding fleet
By connecting a growing network of 1,000 Orca AI-installed vessels, with hundreds more set to join, Co-Captain turns every ship into both a sensor and source of awareness. Together they share and receive verified alerts based on real-time conditions, enriched with external data such as weather, vessel traffic and local regulatory feeds.
Building on Orca AI’s advanced computer-vision technology, Co-Captain fuses these fragmented inputs into a single layer of collective intelligence. The result is a constantly evolving picture of each vessel’s route that keeps crews ahead of risk.
Crowdsourced navigational engine
“This could very well be the most accurate crowdsourced navigational engine in shipping,” said Yarden Gross, CEO and Co-Founder of Orca AI.
“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.”
Trusted global network
Each Orca AI-equipped vessel acts as a node in a trusted global network, continuously detecting high risk targets, including non-AIS targets such as fishing vessels, small craft and navigational hazards like fishing nets.
Each vessel continuously uploads data to the cloud, where it is processed to trigger relevant alerts based on specific events. These alerts can include high traffic (congested waters), GPS interferences, severe weather and more. Alerts are sent to vessels on intersecting routes, enabling timely adjustments to speed, course or watchkeeping, helping crews stay safe and in control.
“The database constantly updates what is happening on global routes, empowering officers to make more resilient navigational decisions,” Gross adds. “All data is fully anonymised, with only the location and observed conditions reported, ensuring complete privacy.”
Route-based notifications
Co-Captain delivers verified, route-based notifications tailored to each vessel's exact operational context, including:
- Congested waters: Alerts based on live traffic density and recent close encounters, enabling early speed or course adjustments, or an additional OOW to be assigned.
- Severe weather: Real-time warnings, including Beaufort Scale readings and visibility data, enables crews to prepare well in advance.
- GNSS interference: Any satellite signal interference detected by other Orca AI vessels is relayed in real time, allowing crews to re-route or rely on alternative navigation methods. Warnings about areas prone to spoofing and interference are also sent.
- Piracy zones: Alerts before entering high-risk areas, prompting activation of security protocols and increased vigilance.
- Environmental compliance: Automated updates on whale sightings and early alerts prior to entering whale-protection zones, emission-control areas and local speed limits, giving crews time to prepare in advance to ensure full regulatory adherence.
- Navigational hazards: Buoy shifts, unmarked obstacles, ice, man-overboard incidents and pollution can be reported between vessels. Co-Captain also relays critical updates on temporarily closed or restricted areas.
Measurable financial value
Beyond safety and compliance, Co-Captain delivers measurable financial value. By enabling crews to anticipate and avoid disruptions, ships can reduce potential costly delays, optimise fuel consumption through smoother route adjustments, and minimise incident-related downtime.
As the Orca AI-equipped network grows, these efficiencies scale exponentially, transforming safety intelligence into a direct return on investment across entire fleets.
Next-generation situational awareness
With over 100 million NM of data collected and counting, Orca AI’s dataset forms an unmatched foundation for next-generation situational awareness. Every data point strengthens the model, refining detection accuracy and predictive power over time.
“What we’re building is a living, evolving ecosystem,” adds Gross. “Each vessel becomes a key link in a safety chain that keeps crews connected and ahead of risk."
