Blue Institute Reveals New BX6 Blue Excelerator Cohort
Freight of Provincetown, Massachusetts, which is advancing zero-emission freight for regional maritime logistics.Retssop of Nova Scotia, Canada which is developing modular oil spill response technology.Sedna Robotics of Boston, Massachusetts, which is building offshore robotic systems and autonomous surface vehicles for persistent monitoring.Springtide Innovations / Springtide Seaweed of Gouldsboro, Maine, which is developing integrated aquaculture technology and seaweed product systems.Maritime SystemsFocus: Infrastructure, autonomous operations, and hardware/software integration.DUV of Denmark, which
A Breath of Fresh Air: USVs Map Hypoxia in the Gulf
are areas of water in which oxygen levels are decreased due to nutrient pollution, often significantly impacting aquatic life. The collaboration recently completed a successful phase two of the project, building on an earlier phase and moving beyond proof-of-concept to deploy multiple SP-48 uncrewed surface vehicles (USVs). "It's a very labor-intensive, crude operation with a large research vessel," said James Thompson at USM. "We approached that from an uncrewed vehicle standpoint; we can modernize that with the tools that are available now."The Pickup Truck of USVsThe star of this
FMD Introduces Fully Autonomous USV Recovery System
Fairbanks Morse Defense (FMD) has introduced AutoHook, a first-of-its-kind fully autonomous vessel recovery interface developed by FMD’s Norway-based business, Vestdavit. AutoHook is designed for fully autonomous launch and recovery systems (LARS) supporting unmanned surface vehicles (USVs) and other assets requiring zero human intervention. The compact, lightweight form factor is designed for interoperability across allied fleets in demanding maritime conditions, removing the need for an additional cradle during loading and unloading.Whereas current autonomous solutions fail to meet
Integrated, Multi-Domain Port Security
by Active and Passive Sonar. Credit: WavefrontWavefront’s Sentinel IDS Expeditionary Trailer. Credit: WavefrontLate last year, Ocean Power Technologies (OPT) announced a partnership with Mythos AI to integrate advanced AI-driven autonomy software across OPT’s fleet of WAM-V autonomous surface vehicles (ASVs) and its PowerBuoy platforms that will be able to charge them. The aim is to accelerate the range of integrated aerial and subsea solutions the company can deliver to customers in defense, security and commercial sectors. The systems will leverage real-time edge processing, multi-sensor
RS Aqua Announces Strategic Partnership with US -based Seasats to Bring Autonomous Surface Vehicles to UK and Ireland Defence Market
RS Aqua announced a new strategic partnership with Seasats, a San Diego-based unmanned surface vehicle (USV) developer, to introduce their range of security platforms to the United Kingdom (UK) and Ireland defense market.Seasats is known for its high endurance, modular, and user-friendly USVs designed to deliver maritime domain awareness through autonomous operations. Through this partnership, RS Aqua will represent and support the Seasats product portfolio across the UK and Ireland.Seasats’ inaugural model, the Lightfish, is a modular USV engineered for long duration autonomous missions.
NYK Invests in USV Startup Oceanic Constellations
NYK recently made an equity investment in Oceanic Constellations Inc. (OC) through a third-party allotment of new shares, funding expected to support OC’s efforts to establish a mass-production framework for unmanned surface vehicles (USVs), among other initiatives.OC, an ocean-tech startup, aims to establish a mass-production framework for USVs within the next few years. The large-scale production and social implementation of USVs will enable the creation of new marine infrastructure that contributes to addressing societal challenges such as ocean surveillance, disaster prevention
Robotics Essential to Coral Reef Preservation Efforts
with visual habitat classification onboard AUVs to provide multi-modal coral reef surveys. Current AI and machine learning developments additionally enable real-time data analysis and improved imaging techniques.Developments in autonomous systems, including the integration of AUVs with autonomous surface vehicles offer exciting possibilities for multi-platform operations, they say, with recent technological advancements including centimeter-scale coral-monitoring robots that can access narrow coral reef crevices that are inaccessible to conventional larger AUVs.AUVs also play a crucial role in coral
USV Surveys to Aid Restoration Efforts on Scottish Loch
endangered flapper skate.A collaboration involving scientists and robotics engineers from the Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS) Enterprise team, Unique Group and the University of Glasgow is currently planning a major survey of the loch, following a successful trial of autonomous surface vehicles.The aim of the survey is to use the marine robotics to accurately survey the loch to build a habitat suitability model, which will inform the most effective site for reintroducing European flat oysters. The model will also indicate where flapper skate are most likely to lay their eggs.Researchers
AlphaGeo UK Joins GeoAcoustics Ltd in Channel Partner Network
UK to represent GeoAcoustics’ full portfolio of sonar systems, including the GeoSwath 4 interferometric bathymetric sonar, GeoScan side scan sonar, and GeoPulse sub-bottom profiler, across the UK and Ireland. The collaboration will place particular emphasis on integration with Uncrewed Surface Vehicles (USVs) and Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs).With a background in supporting sectors including offshore energy, infrastructure inspection, and environmental monitoring, AlphaGeo UK brings a strong focus on the use of compact and modular sensor systems for autonomous platforms. The partnership
February 2026
