AIQ and Quartermaster to Pair AI Vision with Sensor Networks Offshore

More than three million vessel detections across 25 countries form the operational record behind a new agreement between AIQ and Quartermaster, signed during ADIPEC 2026 in Abu Dhabi, to develop AI-enabled maritime safety and security for offshore energy operations.

Abu Dhabi-based AIQ, the industrial artificial intelligence company, and US maritime intelligence firm Quartermaster will combine the SmartMast maritime sensor network with AIQ's machine-learning portfolio already active in UAE waters. The initial scope covers the United Arab Emirates, with the partners planning to examine opportunities across the Gulf Cooperation Council and international markets as the collaboration matures.

What does the agreement cover?

The work divides into two tracks. First, the companies will evaluate joint commercial opportunities. Second, they will demonstrate integrated solutions for monitoring and protecting offshore platforms, pipelines and subsea infrastructure.

Quartermaster's SmartMast provides vessel detection, identification and maritime awareness independently of AIS data (Automatic Identification System, the transponder-based tracking standard), GNSS positioning or satellite systems. According to Quartermaster, the technology has recorded more than three million detections across 25 countries.

AIQ contributes deployed capability rather than laboratory work. The company has already installed SMARTi, its AI-enabled computer vision solution (software that interprets camera imagery automatically), on scores of vessels operating in the UAE. In plain words, one partner supplies the sensing hardware and the other supplies the software that already runs on working vessels.

What applications are proposed?

The stated use cases target both security and commercial outcomes:

• Detecting unauthorised vessels and suspicious maritime activity near offshore assets
• Identifying safety incidents around platforms, pipelines and subsea infrastructure
• Supporting data-driven risk assessments that could help offshore operators secure more favourable insurance outcomes

The insurance angle gives the partnership a measurable commercial logic: operators that can document vessel traffic and incident response with sensor data may present a lower risk profile to underwriters. That claim rests on the companies' own framing, not on any insurer commitment disclosed in the announcement.

Who stands behind the deal?

AIQ was established in 2020 as a joint venture between G42, the Abu Dhabi technology group, and ADNOC, the national oil company. Presight, a G42 company, now holds a majority stake. The company builds artificial intelligence products for the energy sector, and its vessel deployments in the UAE give the new partnership an installed base to build on rather than a greenfield pilot.

Quartermaster brings the sensing layer. SmartMast's independence from AIS, GNSS and satellite systems matters operationally, because transponder-based tracking fails against vessels that switch off or spoof their broadcasts — a known gap in dark-fleet detection.

What comes next?

The agreement is a strategic collaboration, not a sanctioned project: no commercial deployment scope, timeline or contract value has been disclosed. The companies state they intend to expand beyond the UAE as the partnership develops.

The watch item is the first integrated demonstration on a live UAE offshore asset. Success there — measured in detection performance against AIS-independent sensing and any resulting insurance pricing — will determine whether the collaboration scales across the GCC.