SEA.AI wins Trophées Innovation Océan 2026 as machine vision gains acceptance

Maritime machine vision provider SEA.AI has been named a winner at the eighth edition of the Trophées Innovation Océan 2026 (Ocean Innovation Awards), held at the Palais du Grand Large in Saint-Malo. The awards highlight innovative companies in the maritime world aligned with sustainable development. SEA.AI was among five selected from over 63 entries for its impact on navigational safety, maritime surveillance, and marine life protection.

The award caps a year of growth and technological achievements for SEA.AI, which now counts more than 1,300 systems in service worldwide. Over the past 12 months, the company secured a major tender with Spain’s Ministry for the Ecological Transition (MITECO) to supply machine vision systems for real-time whale detection and marine conservation, partnered with MARTAC to integrate autonomous visual intelligence onto unmanned surface vessels, and appointed former French Navy submarine officer Olivier Jacques. Underlining its oceanic roots, more than 20 IMOCA and ULTIM racing yachts are relying on SEA.AI during the 13th Route du Rhum.

SEA.AI has transitioned from passive alerting to an active, interconnected perception ecosystem. In addition to introducing the Watchkeeper system equipped with ultra-wide 4K low-light optics and thermal imaging, the company has deployed 360-degree sensor configurations engineered to continuously monitor the perimeter around larger yachts. A key technical breakthrough this year is the integration with The Carlisle & Finch Co., linking SEA.AI’s Sentry system with SmartVIEW digital searchlights. This introduces automated slew-to-cue tracking, allowing a yacht’s searchlight to autonomously lock onto and track detected objects in real time without manual joystick operation.

For superyacht owners and captains, these innovations complement conventional bridge electronics. Marine radar can fail to capture small, non-metallic debris, semi-submerged objects, or swimmers. Powered by edge AI trained on millions of marine images, SEA.AI delivers continuous 24/7 visual awareness, identifying unlit tenders, jet skis, floating logs, and people overboard in total darkness or heavy chop.