ACUA Ocean has announced the launch of FleetMind, a proprietary integrated platform monitoring system for autonomous vessels, filling a significant gap in the medium and large USV management capability.Whilst existing autonomy software solutions focus on command and control, navigation and collision avoidance, increasingly end users are consolidating the number of systems being deployed. This necessitates a modular approach to the C2 software integration layer, allowing focus

SCEPTRE partners  Evolve Dynamics ,  ACUA Ocean ,  Vizgard  and  Hadean  came together for a live experiment in Plymouth. ACUA Ocean’s USV Pioneer was deployed, while Evolve Dynamics’ Sky Mantis 2 UAS conducted coordinated approaches to combine maritime presence with agile aerial capability, with the concept extending to include Vizgard's AI-enabled asset identification with a live feed through  2iC Limited  into Hadean's dominAI - a showcase of SCEPTRE's integrated C2 ecosys

As demand for capable, cost-effective uncrewed surface vessels (USVs) accelerates across NATO and allied navies, one British startup is setting the benchmark. ACUA Ocean — named in Resilience Media's 100 Startups to Watch in 2026  — has developed Pioneer, the first remotely operated and unmanned vessel certified under the MCA Workboat Code 3, and one of the most capable medium uncrewed surface vessels (MUSVs) available today. What Is the Pioneer USV? Pioneer is a 14-metre, 2

Plymouth-based maritime cleantech startup ACUA Ocean has secured a coveted place on Resilience Media's 100 Startups to Watch in 2026   — one of the defence and security sector's most closely followed recognition lists. The inclusion cements ACUA Ocean's growing reputation as a pioneer in autonomous maritime technology, and signals that the wider defence and resilience investment community is paying close attention to what is being built on the UK's South West coast. What Is A

On 17 January 2026, the High Seas Treaty officially entered into force, marking a major milestone in the protection of marine biodiversity beyond national jurisdictions. The treaty creates, for the first time, a dedicated legal framework to conserve and sustainably manage biodiversity in international waters, opening new opportunities to establish and manage marine protected areas (MPAs) on the high seas, including in regions facing emerging pressures such as deep-sea mining.

As part of the UK and Norway Lunna House Defence Agreement, which was announced on a visit to Portsmouth Naval Base last week, Neil Tinmouth, CEO of ACUA Ocean met with UK Defence Secretary, John Healy, Norwegian Defence Minister, Tore O. Sandvik and UK First Sea Lord, Gen. Sir Gwyn Jenkins KCB OBE. At the meeting in Portsmouth, delegates watched a live stream of USV Pioneer, operating off the coast of Plymouth, deploying multiple underwater sensor payloads to demonstrate her

Top 10 Medium-Sized USVs in the World 2025

The certification represents a significant development in the evolution of regulatory pathways for uncrewed surface vessels operating in UK waters . Lloyd’s Register  (LR) has issued the UK’s first certification for a remotely operated and unmanned vessel (ROUV) under the Maritime and Coastguard Agency’s (MCA) Workboat Code Edition 3 (WBC3) Annex 2, with hydrogen-powered PIONEER  from ACUA Ocean  becoming the first vessel to achieve compliance. Introduced by the MCA in Decemb

Video credit: Charlie Froud Cattewater, Plymouth, UK – 21st August 2025  – ACUA Ocean’s hydrogen-powered unmanned surface vessel (USV) PIONEER has successfully completed the world’s first continuous, remote 24-hour offshore operation on zero emissions, marking a breakthrough in the decarbonisation of the global maritime sector. The sea trials demonstrate the commercial potential of hydrogen power for maritime operations while supporting the UK’s ambition to become a world lea

Image from USV Pioneer - circa May 2024 Plymouth, UK – 17th September 2025  – ACUA Ocean has announced an agreement with Aluminium Marine Consultants on the Isle of Wight for the build of the second in the Pioneer-class of uncrewed surface vessels. The agreement includes an intention for a third vessel in the class to follow in 2026. The Pioneer-class, will initially be built under the designation Pioneer Mk2 and will incorporate design optimisations including enhanced system

Plymouth, UK – 7th October 2025  – ACUA Ocean has been awarded a European Space Agency (ESA) contract, supported by the UK Space Agency, to advance their “nested robotic” system for subsea inspection, deployed from USV PIONEER.  The project will accelerate ACUA’s development of Pioneer-class autonomous USV capabilities  to launch and recover (LAR) remotely operated subsea vehicles (ROVs). This “nested robotics” (robot-deploying-robot) solution will expand the capabilities of

Berkeley, CA & Plymouth, UK - August 20th, 2025  - Solideon, a pioneer in autonomous advanced manufacturing, and ACUA Ocean Tech, a British leader in offshore and subsea innovation, have signed a strategic Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to tackle the urgent challenge of scalable, dual-use production jointly. “As global threats evolve, so must our ability to build at speed,” said Mike Tinmouth, Co-Founder and COO of ACUA Ocean. “We can no longer afford 18-month production

SEA has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with ACUA Ocean, a specialist in Uncrewed Surface Vessels (USVs), to explore the potential deployment of SEA’s towed array sonar systems aboard ACUA Ocean’s autonomous platforms for anti-submarine warfare (ASW) and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) operations. The strategic agreement sets the framework for a collaborative evaluation of the technical integration of SEA’s cutting-edge underwater sensing produ

Serco and Acua Ocean are delighted to announce the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) at  DSEI UK .  This partnership sets out to address the increasing need for the development of compelling end-to-end uncrewed vessel operations and data service provision solutions, for the Defence and offshore sectors. The partnership will see the two organisations leverage their expertise from across the autonomous vessel and maritime service sectors to collaborate on various o

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