Patent ID: 8195381

Claim:
A safety system for a marine vessel, the vessel including one or more engines coupled to one or more propellers for propelling the vessel through water, and the vessel being provided with a digital anchor in communication with the one or more engines for maintaining the vessel substantially at a defined location when the anchor is activated, wherein the safety system includes a sensor assembly coupled to a data processing assembly for sensing a region of the water at least partially surrounding the vessel for detection of one or more persons present in the region and for modifying operation of the digital anchor is response to the one or more persons being detected, wherein the sensor assembly includes one or more infra red sensors for detecting infra red radiation generated by the one or more persons when present in the region of the water, wherein each of the one or more infra red sensors are scanned and/or pixellated image sensors operable to generate an output signal for receipt at the data processing assembly representative of a spatial image of at least a portion of the region of water.