From Deck to Device: Transforming Marine Safety with the Nexus Connect App

A global leader in maritime domain awareness, SRT Marine has pioneered marine monitoring and navigation technology for over 30 years. Its products - used by governments and commercial fleets worldwide - support vessel tracking, communication, and safety-critical operations.

With a vision to modernise traditional VHF and AIS systems, SRT set out to create a mobile solution that would complement their new NEXUS VHF Radio Base Unit. SRT Marine’s goal: a cross-platform app offering advanced radio communication, seamless connectivity, and crew safety capabilities - including the complex Man Overboard feature, a challenge avoided by competitors.

In 2022, SRT approached New Icon via The Product Partnership (TPP) to design and develop a mobile and wearable companion app that could:

• Seamlessly integrate with legacy VHF, AIS, and DSC systems
• Introduce modern UI/UX for complex maritime tasks
• Support crew safety with fast, reliable Man Overboard alerts
• Maintain real-time sync with the onboard base unit
• Ensure consistent performance across iOS, Android, and wearables

The challenge was not only technical but systemic. Maritime communication systems are bound by stringent safety legislation, connectivity limitations, and deeply entrenched user behaviours. This required our team to reimagine existing workflows while ensuring compliance with international maritime standards.

A key objective was the implementation of a robust Man Overboard (MOB) alert system - an industry-first in mobile marine technology. This feature had to function reliably across varied hardware, network conditions, and use environments. Achieving this demanded low-latency responsiveness, synchronised visual and audio alerts, and high fault-tolerance. Integrating these into a seamless and intuitive user interface added another layer of complexity.

The solution also needed to bridge the gap between hardware systems and modern mobile technologies, integrating embedded radio hardware with custom APIs, live data streams, and dynamic channel control - all within an app that could be used intuitively by diverse crew members with differing technical skill levels.

Our Approach

We began with a deep discovery phase, mapping real-world maritime workflows through workshops and early-stage prototyping. In collaboration with hardware partner Realise, we developed UX flows tailored to shipboard life and tested clickable prototypes with stakeholders at sea.

Our process included:

• UX flow planning for marine-specific behaviours

• Prototype creation and user testing

• Integration planning with hardware and API layers

• Collaboration with TPP partners to ensure end-to-end alignment

• End-to-end user testing, including multiple in-person sessions with SRT to test the radios and app together

Our design team also explored wearable concepts, producing compact wrist-mounted interface prototypes for hands-free communication - an avenue SRT may explore in future development phases.

New Icon developed a mobile app that connects with the NEXUS VHF Radio Base Unit, transforming mobile devices into interactive radio interfaces.

To meet the stringent demands of marine-grade performance, we implemented a hybrid architecture that balanced shared code efficiencies with fully native functionality. Using Java and Kotlin, our team built real-time features that supported latency-sensitive communication and dynamic channel management.

Key app features include:

• Real-time VHF audio transmission and reception – Providing radio capabilities directly through the app.
• Push-to-Talk (PTT) functionality – Both through the app UI and via external hardware buttons for accessibility.
• Dynamic channel and transmission status display – Offering visibility into current comms and enabling remote switching.
• Safety features – Including a Man Overboard alert system with urgent, high-visibility notifications and geolocation tracking, crew management tools, multi-channel listening and audio routing, and radio event logs for post-incident analysis.
• Device roaming and session continuity – Allowing seamless transition between devices without dropping signal.
• Remote control of physical base unit – Enabling users to manage settings like volume and power from their mobile device.

We also implemented an event-driven architecture with WebSocket-based real-time synchronisation, ensuring consistent data flow between app and hardware, even under low-bandwidth conditions. Rigorous testing under simulated marine conditions informed UX refinements and performance tuning.

The app’s design mirrored the hardware UI for seamless interaction, while colour coding and iconography were carefully chosen to maximise clarity and legibility in high-glare, high-motion maritime settings.

The result is an industry-first companion mobile app that blends intuitive design with technical precision. It enables seamless interaction with SRT’s hardware, enhances onboard communication, and improves crew safety in demanding marine environments.

By aligning app workflows with the physical design of the radio base unit, the solution delivers a cohesive and integrated user experience across devices. The system has been successfully tested in field trials and is entering active deployment aboard vessels.

The Man Overboard feature marks a significant industry innovation - delivering rapid alerts, real-time tracking, and clear visual feedback to support emergency response procedures. Real-time synchronisation with the onboard unit ensures communications remain stable and uninterrupted, even in remote areas.

With device-agnostic deployment and responsive design tailored for harsh maritime environments, the app offers a scalable, future-ready solution. SRT now delivers a modernised communication platform that meets maritime-grade expectations, reinforces safety protocols, and paves the way for future digital enhancements, including further wearable integrations and AI-assisted diagnostics.

Together, SRT and New Icon have redefined the standard for marine radio solutions - merging decades of hardware expertise with cutting-edge software design to enable safer, smarter, and more connected operations at sea.