BMT and Teledyne Marine announce Memorandum of Understanding
BMT is delighted to announce a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with The Teledyne Marine Vehicles group which includes Iceland-based Teledyne Gavia and North Falmouth, MA based Teledyne Webb Research, laying the foundation for strategic alignment and close collaboration on future projects in the maritime autonomy space.
This MoU builds on an established relationship, through which BMT has provided specialist technical consultancy to Teledyne Marine Vehicles in support of underwater autonomy programmes in both the UK and internationally. This includes expertise in through-life support and cyber security, as well as the delivery of a Safety and Environmental Case Review (SECR) for the UK Ministry of Defence, ensuring the platform’s operational safety and environmental compliance.
Will Alexander, BMT’s Maritime Autonomous Systems Lead, explains:
“BMT and Teledyne Marine bring extensive complementary expertise into this market, empowering us to think innovatively and overcome challenges as the strategic shift to integrate autonomous systems across naval operations continues at pace.
As an independent consultancy with deep domain expertise, BMT offers comprehensive technical support in maritime autonomous systems across the asset lifecycle. From the design stage through development, testing, assurance and operation we support customers leverage new technology to deliver cost effective, safe and sustainable marine operations.”
Teledyne Marine has established itself as a market leader in the production of Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs), including the Gavia, Osprey, and SeaRaptor class AUVs and Slocum gliders and APEX floats, which are currently in use with the UK Royal Navy and deployed widely with other military, commercial, and scientific users worldwide.
Arnar Steingrimsson, VP of Sales, Marine Vehicles, of Teledyne Marine, adds:
“We greatly value the close working relationship that Teledyne has had with BMT on successful UUV projects for the UK Ministry of Defence and other NATO members. Industry collaboration is the key to managing today’s rapidly evolving market dynamics and meeting increased demand from naval users. Teledyne looks forward to building on the work to date with BMT to better serve our joint NATO and international unmanned systems customers.”
Paul Haycock, BMT’s Senior Account Manager – Defence Industry, concludes:
“This collaboration reflects both companies’ shared commitment to addressing today’s challenges to shape a more innovative and resilient future. With a wealth of combined underwater domain experience, we are perfectly positioned to help our customers address evolving threats, enhance their operational capabilities and leverage maritime autonomy for reconfigurable, cost-efficient, scalable and adaptable fleet operations.”
Redwing Glider Successfully Launched in Historic Global Ocean Mission
Teledyne Marine has successfully launched the next-generation Slocum Sentinel glider, ‘Redwing’, into the Atlantic Ocean on Saturday, Oct. 11, approximately 43 miles southeast of Woods Hole, Mass. The launch, which is a collaboration with Rutgers University, took place aboard the Ocean Researcher, a 41-foot research vessel under clear skies and one- to three-foot seas.
The Teledyne Marine team on board included Shea Quinn, Sentinel Mission Project Lead; Cordie Goodrich, Sentinel Mission Lead Pilot; and Sal Fricano, Glider Applications Engineer and Pilot.
Redwing is embarking on the five-year Sentinel Mission, where it will become the first autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) to circumnavigate the globe.
Brian Maguire, COO at Teledyne Marine, explained: “We are humbled by the scale of this mission. To send a glider around the globe, every detail must be world class — the design, the hardware and software, the support, and the people executing the mission. This is our moonshot!”
Maguire added: “This mission is what Teledyne Marine is about. We’re sensing at the edge, analyzing and distributing data at the speed of decision making; doing this with highly engineered products that solve tough, real-world challenges.
“This is not just a technical achievement. It’s a testament to what happens when bold customers, brilliant engineers, and relentless operators come together with a shared purpose: to explore, to protect, and to understand our oceans.
“We have fielded over 1,000 Gliders. As Sentinel begins its journey, it carries the legacy of learning from every mission our customers have run with our gliders.”
Shea Quinn, Sentinel Mission Project Lead at Teledyne Marine, added: “Beyond the attempt at the first ever global circumnavigation by an AUV, this mission will demonstrate that we now have the capability to send autonomous systems to the most remote areas of the ocean,” said Quinn. “We can use them for months or years at a time to gather valuable scientific data to take the next step in ocean data gathering and hopefully inspire more people to become involved in the study of our oceans and the technologies that enable it.”
Monitoring the launch remotely, Rutgers oceanographer and science co-lead Scott Glenn reflected on the moment Redwing left the dock at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution on Friday, Oct. 10, after a celebratory launch event: “It brought me a sense of relief. That we are as prepared as we are going to be, and the best way to move the technology forward now is to spend time at sea. I felt that same calmness that I have felt many times before when a glider mission begins, as our focus changes from preparation for all that can go wrong, to ocean exploration and the many new opportunities for discovery.”
Redwing’s journey will take it across the Gulf Stream towards Europe, then south to Gran Canaria, onward to Cape Town, across the Indian Ocean to Australia and New Zealand, through the Antarctic Circumpolar Current, and eventually back to the Atlantic via the Falkland Islands, Brazil, and the Caribbean.
The mission is a collaboration between Teledyne Marine and Rutgers University. Engineers from Teledyne, alongside more than 50 students from Rutgers University - who have been instrumental in developing flight tools and navigation software - will work in unison to help track and keep Redwing on its time critical flight path. A combined mission control will be split between Teledyne and the Center of Ocean Observing Leadership (COOL) room at Rutgers, where data will be analyzed throughout the five-year mission.
The mission aims to revolutionize ocean data collection, improve weather forecasting and our understanding of the causes of extreme weather events, and inspire the next generation of ocean scientists and engineers.
The Sentinel Mission’s progress will be updated on www.teledynemarine.com/sentinelmission and can be followed on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sentinel_mission
The sea launch footage can be accessed here
Sonardyne underwater positioning and tracking for US Academic Research Fleet
Underwater positioning and tracking technology from Sonardyne has been chosen for three new oceanographic research vessels being built under the US' National Science Foundation (NSF) Regional Class Research Vessel (RCRV) construction programme.
Led by Oregon State University, the state-of-the-art RCRVs are being built for the US' Academic Research Fleet (ARF), enabling a new era of coastal and regional marine science.
To support the RCRV's scientific missions, across diverse marine environments, Oregon State University selected Sonardyne's Ranger 2 Gyro USBL 7000, engineered to meet both the demanding, multidisciplinary research objectives of the ARF and vessel-build requirements.
The first system has recently been delivered to Oregon State University to be fitted to the R/V Taani, to be operated by the university, by vessel builder Bollinger Houma Shipyards.
Systems for the other two vessels, R/V Narragansett Dawn (to be operated by a University of Rhode Island-led consortium) and the R/V Gilbert R. Mason (to be operated by the Gulf-Caribbean Oceanographic Consortium) will be delivered next year.
"The RCRV construction programme represents a significant enhancement to the US Academic Research Fleet," says James Caison, Design Specialist, at OSU working on the RCRV programme. "These vessels will empower researchers to address critical questions in climate, ecology, and ocean dynamics across the Pacific coast, east coast and Gulf of Mexico."
"The RCRV construction programme represents a significant enhancement to the US Academic Research Fleet," says Kim Swords, Technical Sales Manager at Sonardyne.
"This order is an endorsement of the precision and reliability delivered by our Ranger 2 USBL systems. It reinforces Sonardyne's position as a trusted provider of high-performance acoustic positioning technologies for the US marine science and research community."
Sonardyne's Ranger 2 will allow US researchers to accurately track and simultaneously communicate with multiple underwater scientific instruments, vehicles or towed platforms, at ranges up to 10,000 m depending on its configuration.
The Ranger 2 Gyro USBL 7000 system was specifically selected for its precise acoustic tracking performance, integrated gyrocompass and proven reliability in complex deployment scenarios.
With Ranger 2 Gyro USBL, scientists and researchers using the RCRVs can be sure of optimal underwater positioning and tracking capabilities, without the need for separate external heading sensors.
For vessels equipped with a dynamic positioning system, Ranger 2 can also provide accurate and repeatable position referencing, in any water, without interrupting target tracking operations.
Register for ESA’s Maritime Decarbonisation event today
Join ESA’s Business Applications and Space Solutions (BASS) team and maritime and space sector stakeholders on 19 November at ESTEC (Netherlands) for “Showcasing Space Applications for Maritime Decarbonisation.”
Explore how space data and technology are helping the maritime sector tackle environmental challenges and drive decarbonisation. The event will bring together ports, authorities, classification societies, shipyards, ship owners, and technology providers for a full day of insights and collaboration.
Find out more and register here: https://business.esa.int/news/showcasing-space-applications-for-maritime-decarbonisation
Registration closes 7 November or when full.
World first project launched in Plymouth to teach autonomous vessels to "read" critical navigation data
- World-first UKHO–Marine AI project launched in Plymouth to teach autonomous vessels to read official navigational data
- Eight-month programme will finetune AI models to interpret UKHO Sailing Directions and Radio Navigation Warnings
- Live on-water demonstration using ZeroUSV’s Oceanus12 vessel planned for spring 2026 to inform global standards
The UK Hydrographic Office (UKHO), located in Taunton, and Marine AI, a Plymouth-based leader in maritime autonomy software, have this month launched a world-first research programme to enable Maritime Autonomous Surface Ships (MASS) to read, interpret, and act upon official navigational information once only usable by human mariners.
The eight-month project will see Marine AI finetune its baseline large language model (LLM) to process ADMIRALTY Sailing Directions (SDs) information and Radio Navigation Warnings (RNWs), currently written in natural language for human interpretation, and feed this structured information into the GuardianAI software suite for autonomous control. The breakthrough could transform global shipping by enabling uncrewed vessels to make safe, real-time decisions based on the same authoritative data used by professional mariners.
At present, MASS rely on human operators to interpret text-heavy navigation data, often described in non-standard nautical language and distributed through legacy systems. This project will address the challenges posed by unstructured text, legacy broadcast formats, and the lack of machine-readability, by retraining a bespoke large language model (LLM) and developing supporting AI agents to structure the data before it is fed into GuardianAI’s tactical engine and human–machine interface.
By solving these challenges, the research will allow autonomous vessels to operate more independently, responding immediately to navigational warnings and Sailing Directions without waiting for human interpretation.
The research programme will culminate in a live on-water demonstration in spring 2026, using ZeroUSV’s Oceanus12 vessel equipped with Marine AI’s GuardianAI suite on Plymouth’s waterways, alongside advanced simulation events. The results will also help inform the International Hydrographic Organization’s S-100 data framework, the new universal standard that will underpin the next generation of navigation technologies.
Oliver Thompson, technical director at Marine AI, said: “This is the first time anyone has attempted to process ADMIRALTY Sailing Directions and Radio Navigation Warnings in a way that an autonomous control system can act upon. By proving this capability on the water, we are closing one of the biggest gaps in MASS autonomy and taking a major step toward safe, fully automated operations.”
Mark Casey, Head of Research, Design and Innovation at the UK Hydrographic Office, said:
“Working with Marine AI allows us to push the boundaries of how autonomous systems can use official hydrographic information. The outcomes will not only support the safety of lives at sea but also feed directly into the development of the IHO’s S-100 framework, ensuring that UKHO data continues to set the global benchmark for safe navigation in both crewed and uncrewed vessels.”
Autonomous shipping is a key priority for the UK maritime sector, with Plymouth already established as a national testbed for MASS technology. Demonstrating that uncrewed vessels can understand and act on the same official navigation information used by seafarers could:
- Improve safety of life at sea through faster, automated responses to hazards.
- Support the international community in defining the standards for autonomous navigation.
- Accelerate the safe deployment of MASS across commercial, research, and defence applications.
World-first: Underwater Autonomous Glider to circumnavigate the globe
In a world-first for marine science and technology, Teledyne Marine in collaboration with Rutgers University-New Brunswick, will conduct a pioneering mission to circumnavigate the globe with an autonomous underwater glider.
Using Teledyne’s ‘Redwing’, the most advanced commercial subsea glider ever developed, the near five-year Sentinel Mission departs on 10 October 2025 following a ceremony at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI), which operates the second largest glider fleet in the world.
Launched from the edge of the continental shelf south of Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, the next generation Slocum Sentinel Glider will gather unparalleled levels of data on ocean currents, sea temperature and their impact on weather systems and the planet. This data will help refine weather models and improve hurricane intensity forecasting. The data will also help to inform ocean policy and conservation efforts.
“This is a truly historic mission,” says Brian Maguire, COO at Teledyne Marine. “It will pave the way for a future where a global fleet of autonomous underwater gliders will be able to continuously sample our oceans. These gliders will deliver early warnings of extreme weather and will track the impact of shifting ocean currents so that we can refine long-term weather projections in a way that scientists have dreamed of for decades.
“It will also prove that long-range, next-generation, low energy autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) are capable of carrying more complex, heavier, and increasingly energy hungry sensors on missions that we could only have imagined previously.”
A legacy realised
The culmination of a vision first imagined by glider inventor Doug Webb — who pioneered autonomous ocean vehicles at Teledyne Webb Research — the Sentinel Mission serves as both a tribute to Webb, who passed away in 2024 at the age of 94, and a response to the urgent need for global ocean monitoring.
Specially built for the mission ‘Redwing’ – an acronym for Research & Education Doug Webb Inter-National Glider – will surf global ocean currents on its epic mission gathering critical ocean data from under-sampled, remote regions of the globe.
A global flight path
Redwing’s first leg will see it ride the Gulf Stream south of Martha’s Vineyard toward Europe, before sweeping south to stop at Gran Canaria off the coast of North West Africa. Its next leg will take it to Cape town in South Africa, before crossing the Indian Ocean to stop at Perth in Western Australia, then on to Wellington, New Zealand. It will then navigate the Antarctic Circumpolar Current — the most powerful current on Earth — taking it on its longest leg to the Falkland Islands. From here there will be possible stops in Brazil and the Caribbean before heading back to Cape Cod in the U.S.
Providing vital data
Transmitting information via satellite when it surfaces every 8-12 hours, Redwing will share vital data on ocean temperature, salinity, currents, and ocean health via the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) global monitoring system. This will ensure that scientists, oceanographers, meteorologists, universities, and even schools worldwide will be able to access real-time results internationally, building interest in the mission.
Inside the Sentinel Redwing
Built for endurance
The Sentinel Redwing is a new class of sea glider, purpose-designed for ultra-long missions across some of the harshest seas on Earth. Specially engineered with extended battery capacity and additional sensor capability, it can travel up to 15,000 kilometres on a single leg.
Depth and performance
Redwing will dive to depths of 1,000 metres before returning to the surface to transmit data every 8-12 hours. Using only gravity and buoyancy for propulsion, it flies in a sawtooth pattern through the water, conserving energy for years-long deployments.
Smart design
Redwing’s carbon fibre hull flexes under pressure, compressing slightly during descent, while its buoyancy is adjusted via an oil pump and pitch battery system. This ingenious design allows Redwing to “surf” rather than fight ocean currents, travelling at an average speed of 0.75-1 knots as it efficiently propels its way forward, enabling it to travel vast distances, staying deployed for longer.
Payload and sensors
At 2.57m long and 0.33m in diameter, Redwing carries a payload of up to 3.5kg, including:
- CTD sensor (conductivity, temperature, depth/density)
- Altimeter to avoid the seafloor
- Attitude and compass sensors for navigation
- And a fish monitor from Dalhousie University, tracking tagged marine life such as sharks and whales
Shea Quinn, Sentinel Mission Project Lead and Slocum Glider Product Line Manager, explains: “As we travel through the layers of the ocean, which move over and under each other in different directions, we’ll gather data on water temperature and density, and we’ll pick up pings from tagged marine life. “We’ll be able to see what’s happening at the surface and deeper underwater where huge patches of cold water and warm water move. This data will help us to show, for example, where a hurricane is going to go next and how intense it’s going to be. We’ll also build a better knowledge about the impact of ocean currents on our weather patterns, informing global ocean models of the future, and our understanding of long-term climate change.”
Supported by partners from Spain, Gran Canaria, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Brazil, the UK, and the U.S, the mission is a truly international undertaking.
Collaborating with academia
Teledyne Marine engineers will work closely with more than 50 Rutgers University students at the Center for Ocean Observing Leadership (COOL), who have helped programme the navigation software that will guide Redwing across the oceans. Together, they will track Redwing from their shared mission control bases and will keep it on its flight path, making necessary adjustments each time it surfaces throughout the 73,000km journey.
“This is a pivotal moment for ocean science,” said Scott Glenn, Distinguished Professor in the Department of Marine and Coastal Sciences at Rutgers. “We’re deploying an autonomous glider that will travel the world’s oceans, gathering data. And we’re doing it with students, educators and international collaborators every step of the way.”
Oscar Schofield, Distinguished Professor in the Department of Marine and Coastal Sciences at Rutgers, added: “There’s no doubt in my mind that this mission will not only shape our understanding of the oceans and their impact on the climate in a new way, but it will also change the future of autonomous ocean exploration.
“Fittingly, it will also realise a piece of science-fiction written by Henry Strommel of Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution that appeared in Oceanography Magazine in 1989. This foresaw an international race between three Slocumb Sentinel gliders to circumnavigate the globe first, and a time when there would be a fleet of underwater gliders taking part in missions around the world.”
The Sentinel Mission’s progress will be updated on www.teledynemarine.com/sentinelmission and can be followed on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/teledynemarinevehicles/
Marine Measurement Forum Announces Exciting New Venue: Winchester Science Centre & Planetarium
The Ocean Business team are delighted to be hosting the 70th edition of the Marine Measurement Forum, fondly known as the MMF, taking place on the 28th January 2026.
The conference will bring together professionals from across the marine sector under the spectacular dome of one of the UK’s leading science engagement venues - the Winchester Science Centre & Planetarium. Powerfully connecting two largely unexplored realms, particularly as the need for satellite and space technology for navigation and remote data collection is ever increasing.
January's event will highlight how knowledge-sharing between ocean and space science is essential to providing answers, and to help us better understand our planet.
The call for speakers will be issued shortly, contributors from all corners of the marine and space sectors are encouraged to apply.
For event updates make sure you sign-up here.
We look forward to seeing you there!
Your Ocean Business Team
Aker Solutions and Kongsberg Discovery join forces in protecting critical infrastructure
Kongsberg Discovery and Aker Solutions are joining forces to showcase a drone (UAV) detection system in Stavanger, using Kongsberg’s Drone Detection Radar. This marks the beginning of a broader rollout of infrastructure products in the North Sea to enhance situational awareness around offshore assets and transit lanes.
Kongsberg Discovery develops subsurface, acoustic, navigation, and marine robotics systems, including AUVs and USVs. The company’s technologies are used in navigation and infrastructure protection, offering products such as Drone Detection Radar, Mobile Broadband Radio, integrated camera systems, and acoustic solutions for subsea monitoring and surveillance.
Aker Solutions brings integrated energy solutions, enabling low-carbon oil & gas and advancing renewables like offshore wind, CCS, and hydrogen.
Kongsberg Discovery and Aker Solutions plan to implement the drone detection system in phases, starting with a demonstrator at Aker Solutions at the Stavanger site to showcase to potential customers. The system will then be deployed offshore and gradually expanded with camera clusters and underwater sensors to enhance situational awareness.
According to Joachim Hovland, Head of Drones and Robotics in Aker Solutions, this cooperation sets a new standard:“This collaboration marks the beginning of a scalable solution to enhance situational awareness at critical infrastructure, offshore and onshore. By combining Kongsberg Discovery’s technology expertise with Aker Solutions’ integration and domain knowledge, we are setting a new standard for safety and security at sea.”
Later phases include installation on supply vessels, integration with onshore control centres, broader rollout across rigs and vessels, and eventual expansion to other countries. Aker Solutions will act as system integrator, with Kongsberg Discovery as sub-supplier, and the demonstrator will be available for joint customer presentations.
According to Cato Giil Eliassen, VP Infrastructure in Kongsberg Discovery, recent incidents again show the need for establishing a drone detection system in connection with critical infrastructure:
“There have been many observations of drones close to critical infrastructure in the last couple of years. Few are properly documented. This cooperation between Aker Solutions and Kongsberg Discovery will provide the end customer with proper tools to monitor, record and document illegal, as well as legal, UAV activity around installations.”
For further information please see https://www.kongsberg.com/discovery
Sulmara expands to Bristol with new CIO and AI/ML Innovation Hub
International subsea survey and inspection company Sulmara has opened a new office in Bristol, strengthening its technical leadership and accelerating innovation in subsea data solutions.
The new office is now home to a specialist team, focusing on enterprise data infrastructure, software development and data analytics driven by artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI/ML). They will help transform how offshore survey data is collected, processed, and delivered, and their work will reduce the number of people working offshore, improve survey accuracy, and shorten project timelines.
At the heart of this move is the appointment of Richard Goodwin as Chief Information Officer (CIO). Based in Bristol, Richard will lead Sulmara’s global technical development & operations, driving the integration of AI/ML, cloud, and automation into subsea survey workflows.
Richard brings more than 25 years of experience, including two decades at Capgemini where he held global senior leadership roles across AI/ML, infrastructure, security, and solution architecture. His background spans multiple sectors – including marine and subsea – giving him the expertise to tackle some of the industry’s toughest data and technology challenges.
“This is more than just a new office – it’s a highly experienced team ready to deliver from day one,” said Richard. “With AI and machine learning, we see a huge opportunity to transform underwater exploration – making it safer, faster, and more precise than ever before.”
Kevin McBarron, CEO at Sulmara, added: “We’re really pleased to welcome Richard and the wider team to Sulmara as they settle into our new Bristol office. They bring a high level of technical skill, professionalism, and a collaborative spirit that aligns with how we work as a company.
“Having this team in place adds further depth to the expertise we offer our clients, and we’re genuinely looking forward to working together.”
The Bristol hub will focus on developing tools for tasks such as UXO identification, seafloor target picking, and boulder detection, all critical to reducing project risk and enabling greater adoption of remote technologies.
This expansion reflects Sulmara’s commitment to data-driven innovation and to providing clients with faster, safer, and more efficient subsea services.
To find out more about Sulmara, please visit www.sulmara.com.
Exail achieves world first with 1,100-nautical-mile autonomous USV transit across Gibraltar Strait
Exail has achieved a major milestone in maritime autonomy with its DriX O-16 transoceanic uncrewed surface vehicle (USV). The 16-meter platform has just completed an unprecedented 1,100-nautical-mile (2,000 km) transit from La Ciotat – France, to Troia – Portugal, to join NATO’s REPMUS 2025 exercise.
Sailing past the Balearic Islands and through the Strait of Gibraltar, one of the world’s busiest maritime passages, the DriX O-16 completed the voyage in six days without port calls. Operated in supervised autonomy from Exail’s Remote Operation Center (ROC) in La Ciotat, the mission demonstrated endurance, situational awareness, and reliable decision-making in dense traffic.
A decisive step in operational maturity
This long-range deployment confirms the robustness, safety, and operational readiness of Exail’s surface drone technology. More than a symbolic crossing, it provides concrete proof that large USVs can be remotely supervised across open waters and constrained sea lanes, arriving fully mission-capable in theater without heavy logistical support. During the transit, the DriX O-16 also conducted seabed mapping operations with a Kongsberg EM304 multibeam echosounder, further demonstrating its capacity to deliver valuable data while underway.“With this unprecedented long-range transit, Exail’s DriX O-16 shows that large USVs are now an operational reality,” said Sébastien Grall, Head of Maritime Autonomy Solutions at Exail. “As the first uncrewed platform to successfully execute such a mission, it sets a new benchmark in surface autonomy—safe, reliable, and mission-ready.”