SEA-KIT International Seals First USV Export Deal
SEA-KIT International has announced its first uncrewed surface vessel (USV) export sale to ThayerMahan, a leading provider of autonomous maritime solutions based in Connecticut, USA. The X-Class USV’s combination of extended range, high sea state endurance and payload capacity attracted ThayerMahan to the UK-based USV technology leader.
The fact that SEA-KIT’s vessels are already commercially proven across the globe also factored heavily in their decision-making process. Mike Connor, president and CEO at ThayerMahan, said: “We are always striving to improve the efficiency of maritime domain awareness and to keep people safe. SEA-KIT’s flexible payload design enables us to host multiple, sophisticated maritime sensing systems onboard, which in turn will support ThayerMahan to continue leading the field of remote and autonomous mobile acoustic sensing and sense making.”
Protecting Ports and Vessels
“We envisage that the introduction of this hi-tech USV to our portfolio will enhance the protection of ports and vessels at sea as well as have a positive impact on illicit trafficking across international borders,” Connor added.
ThayerMahan is a world-leading provider of state-of-the-art remote and autonomous maritime sensing systems for government, industry and academia. The company plans to use the SEA-KIT USV to support introduction of the technology into government service, as well as for its own commercial activities in US and international waters.
Ben Simpson, SEA-KIT CEO, said: “This US export deal marks a significant milestone in the company’s journey so far. The UK is forging a leadership stance in Maritime Autonomous Systems innovation, and we are proud to be part of that. We look forward to a fruitful, ongoing partnership with ThayerMahan and to supporting their current and future maritime domain awareness goals.”
ThayerMahan is set to take delivery of the latest 12m SEA-KIT X-Class design in spring 2023, with plans for it to enter operations over the summer.
Tom Chant, Chief Executive of the UK’s Society of Maritime Industries (SMI), recognized its member’s achievement: “SEA-KIT has been with SMI right from its inception and it is tremendously satisfying to witness the growth of the company and to follow its numerous overseas projects, like the recent subsea volcano survey in Tonga. Winning new export business with new technology takes vision and a great deal of investment in product development, allied with the development of service and support teams. Congratulations to everyone at SEA-KIT for this impressive export win.”
