James Fisher Takes a Stake in Dive-Capable Drone Boat Venture
British offshore services and shipping company James Fisher and Sons has bought a stake in the American autonomous sailing vessel startup Ocean Aero, which is developing a unique renewable energy-powered unmanned vessel.
James Fisher joined in a Series D funding round for Ocean Aero this month, taking a "strategic" minority stake in the business. Ocean Aero's focus is far from the tanker business that powers James Fisher day-to-day: it is developing a wind and solar-powered unmanned craft called Triton, which can operate below and above the surface. According to Ocean Aero, Triton can operate submerged for more than five days at a speed of two knots, acting as a submarine. In sailing mode, it can run for 30 days or more on a combination of wind a solar power. It will be fitted with a standard instrument package covering most mission sets, with room for options. A graphic user interface control system helps operators manage multiple units at once.
Triton's initial variant was produced in haze gray, and it was built with defense applications in mind. The device has a small radar cross-section to minimize the odds of detection, and a Made-in-the-USA pedigree that is important to U.S. Navy customers. James Fisher is interested in both defense and civilian applications in the offshore sector.
"Ocean Aero’s autonomous platform complements our established marine and subsea capabilities and strengthens our ability to deliver innovative solutions for our customers across the group," said James Fisher chief digital officer Sean Huff, a former U.S. Navy special warfare diver.
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The Ocean Aero device could fill an interesting role in James Fisher's diverse lineup. James Fisher is a provider of technical services in the offshore sector, serving supermajor clients. It is also a shipowner, with a fleet of vessels in coastwide trade in Europe, but it has many other interests. As a contractor to allied militaries, the company is one of the only private firms that operate deep-diving submersibles for submarine rescue, a high end nation-state capability. It also builds rebreathers and specialized systems for special forces dive teams.
"By going to market with James Fisher’s respected team of experienced professionals around the world in the defense and energy space, we will learn from them, increase our footprint, and ultimately deliver even better world-class services," said Kevin Decker, CEO at Ocean Aero. "We are already benefitting from this investment and commercial agreement."