Kraken Robotics’ Expansion Continues
Since it was founded in 2012, the Kraken Robotics story has been one of continual growth, both organically and via acquisition. A core premise of its business are enabling everyone, from subsea defense to commercial companies to explorers, to see more clearly underwater via high-resolution 3D acoustic imaging solutions and services. Marine Technology TV caught up with Lynne Adu, EVP and CCO, Kraken Robotics recently to discuss its next-step to provide Synthetic Aperture Sonar (SAS) as a service, as well as the powerful growth in its battery business.
Saildrone Names Former Vice Admiral as its New President
Maritime defense and oceanographic survey company Saildrone has appointed Vice Admiral John Mustin as its President, who will focus on growing the defense business.In his role, Mustin will work alongside Richard Jenkins, Saildrone founder and CEO.Mustin joins Saildrone following a distinguished 34-year career in the U.S. Navy. He most recently served as the 15th Chief of Navy Reserve and Commander, Navy Reserve Force, where he led approximately 60,000 Reserve Component personnel supporting Navy, Marine Corps, and joint forces operations worldwide.“John Mustin brings a truly unique blend of naval
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
Trump Order Fast Tracks Subsea Mining
President Donald Trump signed an executive order aimed at boosting the deep-sea mining industry, marking his latest attempt to boost U.S. access to nickel, copper and other critical minerals used widely across the economy.The order, which Trump signed in private, seeks to jumpstart the mining of both U.S. and international waters as part of a push to offset China's sweeping control of the critical minerals industry.Parts of the Pacific Ocean and elsewhere are estimated to contain large amounts of potato-shaped rocks known as polymetallic nodules filled with the building blocks for electric vehicles
NUWC Division Newport: $2 Billion Impact on Economy in 2024
The total funded program of the Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC) Division Newport reached $2 billion in 2024, according to the recently released economic impact report.Of its total operating budget, $776 million was spent by Division Newport in civilian payroll and labor, materials, operational expenditures, property maintenance and repair, and military payroll, while $1.2 billion funded contracts.One of two divisions of the Naval Undersea Warfare Center, Division Newport has a workforce comprised of 51% government civilian employees, 48% support contractor employees and 0.38% military staff.
Vatn Systems, Palantir Partner to Scale Manufacturing of AUVs for National Defense
Vatn Systems, a leading defense technology company building autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) for the US military and allies, announced a strategic partnership with Palantir Technologies to further digitize and scale its manufacturing capabilities."Palantir's technology gives us real-time visibility into our operations, strengthening our ability to anticipate challenges, optimize resources, and deliver critical systems to our customers with unprecedented speed and precision," said Nelson Mills, co-founder and CEO of Vatn Systems.The partnership leverages Palantir's software
Undersea Warfighting Development Center Leadership Visits NUWC Division Newport
A constant co-evolution of technology and operational concepts is critical to providing the best warfighting capabilities possible to the U.S. Navy’s submarine fleet. In support of that mission, the Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC) Division Newport and the Undersea Warfighting Development Center (UWDC) continue to have a strong working relationship.On March 31, the warfare center welcomed UWDC Commander Rear Adm. Michael R. Van Poots and some of the organization’s senior leaders for a full day of tours and discussions. Van Poots was joined by Dennis Boyer, SES, deputy commander; Capt.
HII Delivers Initial Lionfish UUVs to U.S. Navy
HII has delivered the first two Lionfish small uncrewed undersea vehicles (SUUVs) to the U.S. Navy under a program that could scale to 200 vehicles, with a contract value exceeding $347 million.Lionfish is based on HII’s REMUS 300 platform, a modular, open-architecture SUUV engineered for multi-mission adaptability and the program was developed in collaboration with the U.S. Navy and Defense Innovation Unit (DIU), to accelerate the adoption of dual-use commercial technologies into U.S. Department of Defense programs.The Lionfish SUUV is a cyber-compliant uncrewed underwater vehicle.HII was
DoD Looks for Advance Underwater Communication Solutions
The US Department of Defense (DoD) has announced funding opportunities as part of the AUKUS Maritime Innovation Challenge 2025 for commercial technologies to solve undersea and information warfare issues.As the second collaboration launched between the U.S.'s Defense Innovation Unit, Australia's Advanced Strategic Capabilities Accelerator, and the UK's Defence and Security Accelerator, the Challenge is seeking commercial companies with solutions that will enhance the tactical and operational capabilities of undersea command, control and communications while maintaining the integrity and
Russian 'Spy Whale' Hvaldimir Found Dead Near Norway
A beluga whale that was suspected of spying for Russia after being discovered in Norwegian waters five years ago has been found dead, according to the non-profit organization that had been monitoring the whale.The body of Hvaldimir - a combination of the Norwegian word for whale and the first name of Russian President Vladimir Putin - was spotted floating in the sea by a father and son fishing in southern Norway over the weekend, Norwegian public broadcaster NRK reported."Hvaldimir was not just a beluga whale; he was a beacon of hope, a symbol of connection, and a reminder of the deep bond
Greensea IQ Contract to Further Develop USN Autonomous Vehicle
as an upgrade solution for systems currently running Greensea’s defense software suite and is used throughout Greensea’s own robot product line. Greensea is augmenting IQNS for this program with advanced autonomy capabilities for acquiring, classifying, and eventually neutralizing subsea threats while maintaining a significant standoff for EOD personnel. This new development is capable of upgrading the existing fleet of VideoRay Defender ROVs currently employed by the Navy and other defense forces.The Phase 4 objective of this contract focuses on further developing EOD Edge to incorporate
US Navy Launches Attack Submarine USS Idaho
One of the U.S. Navy’s newest attack submarines, the future USS Idaho (SSN 799), launched from General Dynamics Electric Boat’s Groton, Ct. shipyard into the Thames River, August 6.The "float off," or launch, is a milestone in a submarine's construction, marking the moment it leaves the shipbuilder's facilities and enters the water for the first time, signaling the start of final outfitting, testing and crew certification.“Today’s launch is testament to the strong collaboration the Navy has with its shipbuilding partners,” said Capt. Mike Hollenbach
north.io Selected for Portuguese Hydrographic Institute Project
underwater assets.The Argus project addresses the challenges posed by "ghost ships"—vessels that deliberately conceal their position—and aims to provide real-time data analysis for underwater infrastructure. Collaborating with the GEOMAR-Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel and Subsea Europe Services GmbH, north.io says it is set to transform how geodata is utilized for security and decision-making, ultimately enhancing Germany's capacity to safeguard critical maritime infrastructure
Teledyne GAVIA AUV Service Center Opens in Poland
An official opening ceremony was held for the Gavia Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) Service Center established by ENAMOR Limited in Gdynia, Poland.Having supported the Polish Navy´s expanding fleet of Gavia AUVs for over a decade, ENAMOR Limited has opened the Service Center in partnership with the Polish Naval Academy.Polish Navy Admirals, Captains and Officers attended the grand opening alongside representatives from Teledyne Gavia in Iceland, Teledyne Marine personnel from the United States and Europe, as well as various NATO partners and Gavia AUV Users.The Polish Navy’s initial
Belgian Navy Renews Contract with SeeByte
SeeByte said the Belgian Navy has renewed its contract for SeeTrack v4 and Automatic Target Recognition (ATR) System licenses for its fleet of autonomous underwater vehicles (AUV).The Belgian Navy is using SeeTrack for in-field mission planning and post-mission analysis using its fleet of HII REMUS 300 and 100 vehicles.SeeByte said it continually works with the Belgian Navy to include SeeByte’s software and training materials in its in-house training program at the NATO Naval Mine Warfare Centre of Excellence.The latest version of SeeTrack provides enhanced planning, monitoring and post mission
ABS and the US Coast Guard R&D Center Team Up for Maritime Tech Development
American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) and the United States Coast Guard Research and Development Center (USCG-RDC) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) as a stepping stone towards collaborative research and development on top-of-mind technologies impacting the maritime industry.Activity under the MoU can include developing joint research publications, new technology qualifications and information sharing in a variety of research areas including remote and autonomous systems for uncrewed surface and underwater vehicles, advanced data analytics involving artificial intelligence and machine learning
Kraken Wraps Up High-Res Route Survey Work in Australia
Canadian company Kraken Robotics has completed a contract to supply high-resolution seabed mapping sonar service to Precision Hydrographic Services (PHS), a customer supporting the Australian Department of Defence.The Australian Department of Defence project sought to undertake Hydrographic High Resolution Route Surveys (RS) for a number of Australian ports.The purpose of these surveys was to enable the collection of Maritime Geospatial Information (MGI) to support maritime domain awareness through the acquisition of high-resolution seabed foundation data and associated oceanographic data.Under the
Canada Plans to Acquire Up to 12 Submarines
Canada, looking to shore up its defense of the Arctic, is moving ahead to acquire up to 12 submarines and has started a formal process to meet with manufacturers, the defense ministry said.Canada updated its defense policy this year with a focus on protecting the Arctic and dealing with challenges from Russia and China. The procurement of submarines is a critical step in implementing that strategy, the defense ministry said in a statement.Citing global warming, Canada says the Arctic Ocean could become the most efficient shipping route between Europe and East Asia By 2050, thus raising the need to
Germany, Eight Other Baltic Sea Nations Seek to Jointly Buy Naval Mines
Germany and eight other countries on the Baltic Sea aim to jointly procure naval mines, German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said on Tuesday, as Russia is taking an increasingly assertive stance in the Baltic Sea region.Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Washington, Pistorius said Russia had been challenging the borders in the Baltic Sea time and again."Just recently we have seen how Russia tries to extend Russian territorial waters outside Kaliningrad. We are all unmistakably clear that we will not allow such advances," he said."To that end, we need the
February 2025
