Saildrone: USVs Have Only Scratched the Surface of Maritime Security
Increasing global instability and emerging threats are reinforcing the mission criticality of maritime security and ocean intelligence. To meet that challenge, Saildrone, a company that builds and operates one of the world's largest fleets of unscrewed surface vehicles (USVs), is redefining how oceans are explored, monitored and protected.At the helm is Brian Connon, vice president of ocean mapping and a former U.S. Navy oceanographer. After leaving the Navy, Connon joined a hydrographic research center at the University of Southern Mississippi, which lead to his role at Saildrone. Now, four and a
Greensea IQ, Ocean Power Technologies Announce Collaborate On Autonomous Hull Maintenance
and recovery system to enable more efficient and environmentally responsible hull maintenance operations.The collaboration will pair Greensea IQ’s EverClean robot—an in-water system that proactively removes biofouling from vessel hulls—with OPT’s modular and autonomous WAM-V surface vehicles. Together, the companies will develop and test a system that can operate independently of traditional support vessels, unlocking new opportunities for persistent hull maintenance in commercial and defense markets.The joint effort will focus initially on system design, integration, and prototype
Oceaneering Upgrades Survey Vessel for Simultaneous Autonomous Missions
;has completed a major upgrade of its Ocean Intervention II oceanographic research vessel, equipping it to perform simultaneous autonomous offshore survey missions.The retrofit, carried out in early 2025 on the 25-year-old vessel, has made it capable of launching and recovering both uncrewed surface vehicles (USVs) and autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs).The vessel, originally launched in 2000 for geophysical and geotechnical survey work, has been outfitted with new navigation systems, hull-mounted sensors, cloud-enabled data infrastructure, and a modernized engine room.The upgrade includes a
OPT Finds Tech Delivery Partner for Mexican Maritime Markets
Latin America, leveraging the reseller’s regional presence and relationships within Mexico.Under the agreement, the partner will provide business development, sales, and technical support services. The agreement also includes a $3 million purchase commitment for OPT’s WAM-V Unmanned Surface Vehicles (USVs).“This partnership opens a strong channel to deploy our intelligent maritime solutions across security, energy, and commercial markets in Mexico. It builds on our existing momentum in Latin America and advances our broader goal of global expansion through strategic partnerships,&rdquo
OPT Secures US Patent for Floating Marine Vehicle Charging System
Ocean Power Technologies (OPT) has secured a patent from the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) for its autonomous, floating marine charging solution.Designed to address the increasing demand for clean maritime operations, the invention enables electric vessels, including uncrewed surface vehicles (USVs), to locate, dock with, and recharge from a floating energy platform while at sea.The patent covers multiple key features, including signal-emitting guidance systems for dynamic maritime docking, flexible and secure mooring structures to stabilize vessels during energy transfer, wired
Argeo Picks Henriksen's LARS for Argus USV
Argeo has become the first commercial customer for the new Henriksen SOLUS launch and recovery system (LARS) for unmanned surface vehicles (USV). Argeo employs a range of unmanned and autonomous vehicles for providing its advanced offshore survey and inspection services. The new SOLUS system now makes it possible for an uncrewed USV to be recovered by the mothership even in unfavorable sea conditions.The Henriksen SOLUS system achieves this by enabling the 9-meter Argeo Argus USV to be brought alongside and reconnected to the mothership’s lifting wire by means of its telescopic mast.
John Siddorn, CEO, National Oceanography Center
(NOC).Today, NOC is based in Southampton and Liverpool and has quickly become one of the most advanced centers for integrated oceanographic research and engineering worldwide. With a staff of more than 600 and assets ranging from deep-sea research vessels to fleets of autonomous underwater and surface vehicles, NOC serves as the UK’s principal marine science body.For Siddorn, who began his career as a physical oceanographer in the 1990s and spent significant time at the UK Met Office developing coupled ocean-atmosphere models, the role at NOC is the culmination of a lifetime dedicated to understandin
Saildrone Closes $60M Financing to Bring Maritime Autonomy to Europe
need for maritime security for critical infrastructure and wider defense applications.The Baltic, North Sea, and European Arctic waters are currently facing unprecedented threats, and the need for persistent maritime domain awareness is significant. Saildrone’s extreme endurance unmanned surface vehicles utilize sophisticated sensors, combined with proprietary AI algorithms, to give a full picture of the maritime environment above and below the sea surface.In addition to EIFO, other participants in the round included existing investors Lux Capital, Washington Harbor Partners, Crowley, and Academy
OPT Signs Up Defense Customer for Multiple WAM-V USVs
Ocean Power Technologies, a U.S.-based marine power, data and service solutions company, has been awarded a contract for multiple WAM-V unmanned surface vehicles (USVs) for delivery to certain Allied Forces.The contract includes delivery of vehicles, integrated sensors, and operators as a contractor-owned contractor-operated (COCO) delivery in late Spring 2025.Due to the sensitive nature of the relationship, terms of the contract have not been disclosed.The award builds on the recent commercial success of OPT’s vehicles and PowerBuoy’s for autonomous Maritime Domain Awareness, Counter
February 2025
