Christchurch-based Online Oceans has raised £4m to scale its build of autonomous surface vessels and fleet software for defence and maritime security.
Online Oceans is building a new model for persistent maritime coverage. Scout, its autonomous surface vessel, and fleet command platform Tether enable operators to deploy dense, always-connected fleets for missions including anti-submarine warfare, protection of subsea infrastructure, border security and counter-drug smuggling.
The company says maritime security is becoming more urgent as governments and operators face rising pressure to protect critical waters, monitor strategic chokepoints and secure subsea infrastructure.
Despite this, it says persistent coverage remains expensive, with existing approaches relying on crewed vessels with high operating costs or autonomous systems that are too expensive to deploy in dense fleets. This makes coverage intermittent rather than continuous.
As a remedy to these hurdles, Online Oceans has designed its system with a low unit cost, long endurance and continuous connectivity, combined in a platform built for fleet-scale deployment rather than one-off missions.
The round was led by Seraphim Space with participation from investors including Peter Rive, co-founder of SolarCity, Frank Thieser and Florian Seibel, founders of Quantum Systems, and Koro Capital.
The new funding will be used to scale manufacturing, support deployments and expand the company’s ability to serve the growing demand in defence and commercial markets.
“Persistent maritime coverage has been too expensive for too long. That has limited what governments and operators can actually see, protect and respond to at sea,” says George Morton, founder and CEO of Online Oceans.
“We built Online Oceans to change that. This funding allows us to scale production and support customers who need a far more practical way to monitor critical waters, protect infrastructure and maintain awareness over long periods.”
