ZeroUSV, Oshen and Marine AI Team Up on UK Defence Innovation Backed Autonomous Underwater Sensing Network
A trio of Plymouth-based maritime technology specialists, ZeroUSV, Oshen and Marine AI, have unveiled a joint initiative to develop an autonomous underwater sensing network, supported by UK Defence Innovation (UKDI).
All three companies are co-located at Turnchapel Wharf in Plymouth, enabling close, on-site collaboration that is accelerating the development, integration and testing of autonomous maritime systems. The project brings together uncrewed surface vessels, distributed passive sensing and autonomous mission software to create a next-generation underwater sensing network for defence and critical infrastructure protection.
The programme will centre on Oceanus12, an uncrewed surface vessel (USV) developed by ZeroUSV, which will be used to deploy and recover a cluster of Oshen’s C-Star vessels. Acting as a distributed passive acoustic network, the C-Stars will detect and track signals from underwater platforms, including the XV Excalibur, representing an Extra Large Uncrewed Underwater Vehicle (XLUUV).
Funding for the project is provided by UKDI, formerly known as the Defence and Security Accelerator (DASA). The system combines autonomous deployment with passive sensing capabilities to support the monitoring and protection of critical subsea infrastructure, such as underwater cables and pipelines.
MarineAI will integrate the C-Star launch and recovery system with its GuardianAI software aboard Oceanus12, enabling autonomous mission planning, coordination and control of the deployed vessels.
“Underwater operations depend on knowing where assets are and whether they’re operating as intended, but direct communications aren’t always desirable or possible,” said Matthew Ratsey, Co-founder and Managing Director of ZeroUSV. “This project allows us to explore an alternative approach, using Oceanus12 to deploy a small constellation of surface vessels that can listen passively and provide assurance without compromising the mission.”
