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, and communications, thereby enhancing the competitiveness of the entire maritime industry.

In addition to its USV technologies, OC possesses strong capabilities in integrated environmental simulation technologies that realistically reproduce the marine environment, essential for USV operations. These technologies can also be leveraged to verify feasibility and improve accuracy in developing an offshore recovery system for reusable rockets, a project for which NYK has been selected under the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s (JAXA) Space Strategy Fund initiative.

In December 2025, NYK concluded a service agreement with OC for software development of integrated simulations and scenario validation utilizing such simulations for the Space Strategy Fund initiative.

Furthermore, in October 2025, Keihin Dock Co., Ltd., an NYK Group company, concluded a joint demonstration agreement with OC.  

USV being assembled at Keihin Dock Co., Ltd.
Image courtesy OC