BMT is collaborating on a decarbonisation project for the UK’s maritime sector, in partnership with South Devon College and HydroSurv, aiming to drive clean and sustainable maritime innovation.
The project, known as Roc+Dock, will focus on uncrewed vessel technology and will see Hydrosurv develop advanced, automated docking stations for the wireless deployment, recovery, and charging of zero-emission uncrewed surface vessels (USVs). At the same time, South Devon College and BMT, a specialist in maritime autonomous systems and technology, will work together to expand the college’s BMT Rembrandt ship simulator into a dual-use remote operations centre (ROC) facility, enabling the advancement of skills, course development, and operator training provision. This collaboration aims to improve not only simulator-based training but also the safety and operational effectiveness of live remote and uncrewed operations.
This collaboration has been made possible as a result of £440,000 funding from Innovate UK through the Marine and Maritime in the Great Southwest Launchpad programme. which supports business-led innovation projects that will contribute to net zero targets and support strategic marine and maritime markets. The renewable solar energy-powered docking stations will enhance maritime operations by eliminating the need for manual vessel handling and significantly reducing carbon emissions, thereby increasing persistence and availability.
David Hull, CEO Hydrosurv said: “The project directly addresses the UK’s vision for clean maritime practices as set out within the government’s Maritime 2050 strategy. As the maritime sector evolves, demand for persistent coastal coverage for patrol, surveillance, monitoring, and emergency response increases. Marine robotics has revolutionised data collection over the past decade and USVs, which provide persistent high-frequency, wide spatial data collection in real-time, offer massive disruptive potential to strip out both carbon emissions and cost from these operations.”
Paul Singer, Business and Qualification Development Coordinator, South Devon College said: “Enhancing BMT’s Rembrandt vessel simulation suite with the new ROC simulation capability will use precision synthetic modelling to deliver step changes in realism and situational awareness. These advancements allow us to provide cutting-edge skills and training to aspiring students embarking on their careers and offer upskilling opportunities for the current workforce. The ROC facility will provide students with a 360-degree view offering a fantastic and unique, real-life-like environment. It means they will be able to practice realistic scenarios, such as incidents at sea, learn how to deal with different weather conditions and remotely operate a vessel in a safe environment.”
Students will be able to replay real-life incidents and work through different ‘what if’ scenarios before moving on to operating a real USV remotely.
Dr Phil Thompson, BMT Head of Commercial Product Development, said: “The Roc+Dock project marks an important step for the maritime sector, introducing our company’s flagship navigation technology, BMT Rembrandt, into a pivotal collaboration with South Devon College and HydroSurv Uncrewed Survey. This initiative will establish new benchmarks for maritime operations through cutting-edge automated docking stations and a sophisticated ROC. This collaboration seamlessly merges advanced technologies with practical training solutions, aligning with the UK’s goals for high-tech marine autonomy and contributing to the Maritime 2050 strategy. Our collaboration on this project further augments the College’s Marine Academy positioning in maritime autonomy, emerging technologies, and decarbonisation, and as the ideal site to develop our expanding sector’s workforce skills of the future.”
Singer concluded: “We’re creating a real-world learning environment where advanced technology meets practical, hands-on training. This exciting new project means that people will be able to learn new skills and have a career in the marine sector where they don’t have to go to sea. It opens up the marine sector to a wider and diverse range of people, and with the plans for Celtic Sea Floating Offshore Wind (FLOW) there will be even more job opportunities available here in the Southwest.”
Image: Roc+Dock is initially based on the BMT Rembrandt simulator (source: BMT)
