Patent ID: 8267731

Claim:
A breakaway safety system for a vessel, the vessel including (a) at least one hull; (b) one or more engine arrangements supported by the at least one hull; and (c) one of more propeller extensions mounted to the at least one hull and coupled to receive motive power from the one or more engine arrangements in operation; the safety system including: one or more sensors mounted to the vessel for measuring operating parameters of the vessel and for generating one or more corresponding input signals; a control unit for receiving the one or more corresponding input signals, and for processing the one or more input signals to generate at least one control output; one or more fracturable regions for mounting the one or more propeller extensions to the at least one hull; and one or more fracturing devices operable to fracture the one or more fracturable regions for jettisoning associated one or more propeller extensions in an event that the control unit detects a potentially hazardous impact event and activates its at least one control output accordingly.