Ocius Technology has opened an engineering, production and maintenance hub for its Bluebottle uncrewed surface vessels in Sydney, together with a round-the-clock global operations centre, as it scales up to deliver forty more vessels under an Australian government investment of 176 million dollars, according to the company.
Pat Conroy, the Australian Minister for Defence Industry, opened the site on 16 October at a ceremony attended by the Royal Australian Navy, customers and partners. The expansion follows the opening earlier in the week of the company’s first overseas maintenance base in Auckland, run through its subsidiary Ocius New Zealand.
Robert Dane, the chief executive, said: “The opening is an important next step in Ocius’ evolution and our ability to deliver sovereign maritime technology at scale for customers in Australia and around the world.
“It brings together the people, technology and manufacturing expertise needed to build Australia’s Bluebottle fleet at pace, sustain vessels already operating at sea and respond to increasing global demand.
“Ocius began as an R&D operation at UNSW. Today, we have a major Australian manufacturing base, a 24/7 Global Operations Centre and an expanding international presence. That progression shows what Australian innovation can achieve when world-leading research is transformed into operational technology at scale.”
Conroy was blunter about what the vessels are for: “Ocius is a great Australian success story, developing world-leading maritime technology right here in Sydney. Ocius is a prime example of Australian innovation and ingenuity that has created over 70 jobs over the last 12 months, while supporting other small businesses and jobs through its supply chain.
“I’ve said before that I want potential adversaries to understand that when they see an Ocius Bluebottle USV, it is a signal to get out of our ocean. These new facilities will help deliver Bluebottles to the Royal Australian Navy, meet demand for Bluebottles from around the world, and boost Ocius’ maritime operations capability.”
Tim Ayres, the Minister for Industry and Innovation, said facilities of this kind “show the strength of Australian advanced manufacturing, turning home-grown research and innovation into high-value jobs, sovereign capability and products that can compete globally.”
Bluebottle vessels run on solar, wind and wave energy and can stay at sea for extended periods, providing persistent intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance without a crew. The company describes them as satellites of the sea. A hybrid variant carrying diesel as a supplementary fuel source is built at the same facility, and the Sydney site also houses research areas working on the sensor, autonomy and mission systems. The workforce has grown past 130.
Bluebottles have achieved AUKUS Authorised User Status and are in service with the Royal Australian Navy, the Australian Border Force, the Royal New Zealand Navy, and with the United States through the prime contractor ThayerMahan.
