“On behalf of the entire Sea Machines team, I congratulate Phil on this much-deserved promotion,” said Sea Machines’ Michael G. Johnson, CEO and founder. “Among other endeavors, Phil was instrumental in securing our agreement with the U.S. Department of Defense to engineer, build and demonstrate ready-to-deploy kits that enable autonomous, self-propelled operation of barges to land and replenish military aircraft. He also led the establishing of our relationship with the U.S. Coast Guard Research and Development Center and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, both of which are implementing and evaluating the SM300 autonomy system. We are certain Phil will further develop Sea Machines’ reputation as the premier commercial provider of intelligent vessel technology to the U.S. Government.”

With more than 15 years’ experience working in the marine industry, Bourque joined the company in 2017 as director of business development. Prior to driving Sea Machines’ business, he built much of the global sales and support network for Seakeeper Inc, the leading manufacturer of marine gyrostabilizers. His work with USVs at Seakeeper inspired him to pursue the field of autonomy. Bourque has a BASc degree in international business and an MBA from the University of Redlands, in Redlands, Calif.

Sea Machines’ SM Series of products, which includes both the SM200 and SM300, provides marine operators a new era of remote, task-driven, computer-guided vessel control, bringing advanced autonomy within reach for small- and large-scale operations. SM products are ideally suited for existing or new-build commercial vessels, including fireboats, commercial survey workboats, spill-response vessels, security/patrol/search-and-rescue craft, offshore wind support vessels, aquaculture workboats and others.

In 2020, Sea Machines closed an additional $20 million in financing with significant participation by Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII), America’s largest military shipbuilding company and a provider of professional services. The investment in Sea Machines marked one of the largest venture rounds for an advanced technology company serving the marine and maritime industries.

About Sea Machines
Headquartered in the global tech hub of Boston and operating globally, Sea Machines is the leader in pioneering autonomous control and advanced perception systems for the marine industries. Founded in 2015, the company builds autonomous vessel software and systems, which increases the safety, efficiency and performance of ships, workboats and commercial passenger vessels. Learn more about Sea Machines at www.sea-machines.com.

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(HOUSTON; January 25, 2021) – DEA Marine Services, a division of David Evans and Associates, Inc. (DEA), in Vancouver, Wash., is leveraging a Sea Machines Robotics SM300 autonomous-command and remote-helm control system to fulfill a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) contract that is now surveying more than 3,500 nautical miles of the Western Galveston Bay, near the Houston Ship Channel. The SM300 has been installed aboard the DEA survey boat Sigsbee, which is serving as an autonomous daughter craft for the project. Sigsbee is effectively doubling coverage by operating without an onboard crew, while collaboratively following another DEA-staffed hydrographic survey vessel, which serves as the mothership. The goal is to cover the Bay’s large and shallow survey areas more efficiently than traditional, crewed survey vessel operations. DEA operators located aboard the mothership are commanding the autonomous Sigsbee as it conducts survey missions seven days per week, effectively doubling the conventional productivity of this type of survey.

A view from the bridge of the mothership: An on-board operator commands and controls daughter craft Sigsbee (shown) using the Sea Machines SM300 as it autonomously surveys 3,500 miles of the Western Galveston Bay. Photo credit: DEA

Sea Machines’ technology and DEA’s technical advancements enhance the value of vessel operations by:

• Increasing productivity with collaborative autonomy for force-multiplication;
• Shifting recurring and repetitive operations from manual to autonomous, which enables personnel to focus on higher-level tasks;
• Interfacing autonomous navigation systems with survey software, including Hypack, enabling direct communication and optimizing the combined capabilities of both platforms;
• Improving vessel-tracking precision over planned lines to reduce cross-track error and excessive data overlap.

“Deploying the SM300 system for this mission is allowing DEA to conduct marine surveys with improved predictability, speed of data collection and at-sea safety,” said Sea Machines’ Phil Bourque, director, sales. “The integration with systems like Hypack are streamlining operations for surveyors and demonstrating our commitment to being a best-in-class technology provider. Sea Machines is pleased to to support DEA and NOAA during this critical mission and others like it in the future.”

“DEA is committed to the advancement of technology and being on the leading edge,” said DEA Marine Services’ Jon Dasler, PE, PLS, CH; senior vice president and director. “We see autonomy as the future of hydrography and have enjoyed working with Sea Machines and additional software vendors for continued improvements in autonomous operations and the use of artificial intelligence in data processing.”

In May 2020, Sea Machines announced that Deep BV, of the Netherlands, would upgrade operations with the SM300 to conduct unmanned hydrographic surveys. Deep’s vessel, operating in multiple areas of the Wadden Sea, has been regularly commanded and controlled by personnel situated in the Amsterdam office.

About Sea Machines
Headquartered in the global tech hub of Boston and operating globally, Sea Machines is the leader in pioneering autonomous control and advanced perception systems for the marine industries. Founded in 2015, the company builds autonomous vessel software and systems, which increases the safety, efficiency and performance of ships, workboats and commercial passenger vessels. Learn more about Sea Machines at www.sea-machines.com.

About David Evans and Associates, Inc.
David Evans and Associates, Inc. (DEA) is an employee-owned, multidisciplinary consulting firm headquartered in Portland, Ore. DEA’s Marine Services Division was established in 1989 and is a recognized industry leader in accurate, high-precision hydrographic surveys, marine geophysical surveys, oceanographic monitoring services, and geospatial data analysis for navigational, environmental, engineering, and scientific applications. Learn more about DEA Marine Services at www.deamarine.com.

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Under this OT agreement, Sea Machines will engineer, build and demonstrate ready-to-deploy system kits that enable autonomous, self-propelled operation of opportunistically available barges to land and replenish military aircraft. The kits will include Sea Machines’ SM300 autonomous-command and control systems, barge propulsion, sensing, positioning, communications and refueling equipment, as well as items required for global deployment. Each modular kit will meet U.S. Navy criteria and will be in compliance with classifications and regulations from the DOD’s aviation bodies.

The contract includes a concept demonstration phase, with an option for following phases to deploy SM300 Operational Kits. The live concept demonstration is scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2020, in Washington state, for which Sea Machines has teamed with FOSS Maritime, a leading maritime transportation and logistics provider based in Seattle. FOSS will provide naval architecture, support engineering and operations management to outfit a remotely commanded deck barge to land helicopters and host a scaled fueling station for aircraft, surface vessels and shore replenishment. Using the SM300, shoreside operators will have remote situational awareness and will be able to demonstrate the capabilities of remote command and control of the vessel, her operating systems and flight deck.

Sea Machines is the prime contractor for the multi-year contract and is working closely alongside FOSS Maritime and other significant industry leaders, including Huntington Ingalls, America’s largest military shipbuilding company and a provider of professional services, based in Newport News, Va., and Bell Flight, a producer of commercial and military, vertical-lift aircraft, based in Fort Worth, Texas, to ensure a successful demonstration.

“The AMPP autonomous replenishment systems will solve critical logistics challenges of expeditionary missions. We are pleased to enable this innovative capability, which will increase the effectiveness and flexibility for the U.S. military,” said Sea Machines’ Phil Bourque, director, sales. “With Sea Machines systems already working off the waters of four continents, this project is well suited for us and one that we look forward to delivering on for the U.S. Government.”

“Foss is excited about this new opportunity with Sea Machines. This contract has led to discussions with Sea Machines in a number of other areas where their expertise can help Foss, including bringing more technology to our tug fleet. What they are doing in automation is very interesting and that technology could help our mariners and our vessels safety,” said Foss’ Will Roberts, chief operating officer.

DIU’s work is part of the DOD’s Resilient Expeditionary Agile Littoral Logistics (REALL) Joint Capability Technology Demonstration (JCTD) project. Funded by the Office of the Secretary of Defense Research & Engineering, the JCTD Program addresses Combatant Command (CCMD) and Joint warfighting gaps through prototyping and demonstration of innovative and game-changing technologies. The following offices are involved with defining performance requirements and developing capabilities for REALL: U.S. Central Command, U.S. Transportation Command, U.S. Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory, Naval Facilities Engineering and Expeditionary Warfare Center, Army Engineer Research and Development Center, and the Naval Aviation Warfare Center – Lakehurst.

About Sea Machines
Headquartered in the global tech hub of Boston and operating globally, Sea Machines is the leader in pioneering autonomous command and control and advanced perception systems for the marine industries. Founded in 2015, the company builds autonomous vessel software and systems, which increases the safety, efficiency and performance of ships, workboats and commercial passenger vessels. Learn more about Sea Machines at www.sea-machines.com.

About FOSS Maritime
Foss is a full-service maritime company focused on solving customers’ toughest marine transportation and logistical challenges—close to home and in some of the harshest environments in the world. Along with its subsidiaries and sister companies we have the expertise to support any industry requiring marine transportation services, project management or logistics, helping to handle all of the details from one-time ship assist jobs in local harbors to major multi-year projects across the globe.

About Huntington Ingalls
Huntington Ingalls Industries is America’s largest military shipbuilding company and a provider of professional services to partners in government and industry. For more than a century, HII’s Newport News and Ingalls shipbuilding divisions in Virginia and Mississippi have built more ships in more ship classes than any other U.S. naval shipbuilder. HII’s Technical Solutions division supports national security missions around the globe with unmanned systems, defense and federal solutions, nuclear and environmental services, and fleet sustainment. Headquartered in Newport News, Virginia, HII employs more than 42,000 people operating both domestically and internationally. For more information, visit www.huntingtoningalls.com.

About Bell Flight
Headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas – as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Textron Inc. Textron Inc. is a multi-industry company that leverages its global network of aircraft, defense, industrial and finance businesses to provide customers with innovative solutions and services. Textron is known around the world for its powerful brands such as Bell, Cessna, Beechcraft, Hawker, Jacobsen, Kautex, Lycoming, E-Z-GO, Arctic Cat, Textron Systems, and TRU Simulation + Training. For more information, visit: www.textron.com.

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During the upcoming Passenger Vessel Association’s (PVA) Annual Convention at MariTrends 2019 event in New Orleans, Sea Machines’ Phil Bourque will lead an educational session, titled “Autonomous Control Systems as Aids to Navigation.” This session will inform attendees of the navigational benefits and operational advantages autonomous technology adds to passenger vessels, such as ferries, crew boats, cruise ships and more. Don’t miss the conversation, scheduled for 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., on Thurs., Jan. 17, in the Imperial Room 5D of the Hyatt Regency.

Interested in learning more about Sea Machines during the event? Request time to connect with the Sea Machines team here.

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If you plan to attend and would like to connect with a member of the Sea Machines team during the event, contact us here.

The SNA promotes communication among those in the military, business and academic communities who share a common interest in surface warfare. The organization provides forums on professional matters affecting surface naval forces and the United States Navy and Coast Guard. 

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(BOSTON; January 9, 2019) – Sea Machines Robotics, a Boston-based developer of autonomous vessel control technology, announced today the establishment of a new dealer program to support the company’s global sales across key commercial marine markets. The program includes many strategic partners who are enabled to sell, install and service the company’s line of intelligent command and control systems for workboats. The SM Series products, SM300 and SM200, provide marine operators a new era of task-driven, computer-guided vessel control, bringing advanced autonomy within reach for small- and large-scale operations. 

The Sea Machines dealer network includes the following initial builders and specialists, located in strategic regions:

• Navtronics (York, Maine, USA)
• Marine Group Boat Works (San Diego, California, USA)
• La Conner Maritime (La Conner, Washington, USA)
• Seacoast Marine Electronics (Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada)
• Pinpoint Electronics (Plymouth, United Kingdom)
• Marble Automation BV (Netherlands)
• Technology Ventures (United Arab Emirates)
• CAN Traders & Services (Singapore)

“Establishing this dealer network ensures that customers have access to Sea Machines products and service on a global scale,” said Phil Bourque, director, business development. “We consider each dealer an extension of the Sea Machines factory team, as they are ready to support SM series products from initial sale through post-installation. We look forward to announcing additional dealers in the coming months.”

“With four years of technical development and product testing now completed, we are offering the SM Series of products to the global marine market with extreme confidence. Autonomous and remote-control capability unlock real value in traditional marine operations and open new opportunities on water,” said the company’s founder and CEO Michael Gordon Johnson. “Our focus is on tech that enables a new era of marine and maritime operations, one that is empowered with increased capability, productivity and profitability. I am pleased to be working with this group of first-class integrator/dealers that share credence in progress and innovation.”

Sea Machines SM product series is available now and can be installed aboard existing or new-build commercial vessels with return on investment typically seen within a year. The company is also currently developing advanced perception and navigation assistance technology for a range of vessel types, including container ships. In early 2019, the company will initiate testing of its perception and situational awareness technology aboard one of A.P. Moller-Maersk’s new ice-class container ships.

In December 2018, Sea Machines announced that it had raised another $10 million in venture funding, marking one of the largest venture rounds for a marine- and maritime-focused technology company.

About Sea Machines
Headquartered in the global tech hub of Boston and operating globally, Sea Machines is a leader in pioneering autonomous control and advanced perception systems for the maritime industry. Founded in 2015, the company builds autonomous vessel software and systems, which increases the safety, efficiency and performance of ships, workboats and commercial vessels. Learn more about Sea Machines at www.sea-machines.com.

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