STATE OF THE ART COLLISION AVOIDANCE FOR VENDÉE YACHTSHOMENEWSBOATBUILDINGELECTRONICSSTATE OF THE ART COLLISION AVOIDANCE FOR VENDÉE YACHTS03 Nov 2020EmailShareFacebookLinkedInTwitterPrintOSCAR’s aim is to prevent a collision with any of the many potential threats a vessel can encounter at sea Photo: BSB MarineA next generation collision avoidance system promises to significantly reduce collisions taking place at this year’s Vendée Globe.This year’s race, which sets sail from Les Sables d’Olonne, France on 8 November, will see many of the competing IMOCAs fitted with the pioneering new safety aid OSCAR from BSB Marine.“Our boats have become wider and wider with the foils, increasing the chances of hitting something, so if there is a system that can reduce the chances of a collision then we must have it on board,” said Kévin Escoffier, PRB.Safety imperativeUsing day and thermal cameras combined with artificial intelligence, OSCAR provides a second set of ‘eyes’ for the solo skipper both during the day and, crucially, at night-time as well.OSCAR’s aim is to prevent a collision with any of the many potential threats a vessel can encounter at sea, be that other vessels, unidentified floating objects, or sea mammals, any of which could put a skipper out of the race…or worse.The system instantly alerts the skipper of any potential danger and indicates the position of that threat on a dedicated map. A skipper can also view and record the images transmitted from OSCAR’s cameras.While OSCAR is being put through its paces on solo non-stop round the world race boats, its applications elsewhere are already far-reaching ranging from pleasure boats to commercial vessels.

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