A company that uses fleets of underwater robots and uncrewed surface ships to map and survey the ocean, with a growing base in Southampton.
Ocean Infinity uses robots to explore and work in the ocean. It has fleets of autonomous underwater vehicles, which swim without a person on board, and a growing fleet of remotely operated surface ships called Armada. Its sensors and navigation systems can work down to about 6,000 metres. The robots collect data about the seabed for customers such as energy and scientific organisations, and some are used to search for wrecks. The company has taken part in finding vessels including the ARA San Juan submarine, the Stellar Daisy and, in 2022, Shackleton's ship Endurance with the Falklands Maritime Heritage Trust. It also ran searches for missing flight MH370.
The company was founded in July 2017. Its idea was that putting marine robots to work at scale could change how the ocean is surveyed. It is led by chief executive Oliver Plunkett. A Southampton city council article describes its aim as to use new technology to 'transform operations at sea' in a way that helps people and the environment, and says Armada's services can cut emissions by up to 90% compared with a similar job done by a conventional ship. Armada is described by its managing director Dan Hook as the biggest fleet of robotic ships ever set to sea, in three sizes of 21, 36 and 70 metres.
Ocean Infinity has offices in Southampton, England, and is headquartered in Austin, Texas. In Southampton it has opened a new facility, and an earlier article describes remote control centres being built there and in Austin, plus a government grant towards a Low Carbon Marine Logistics Centre in Southampton. In those centres, sailors and operators work onshore watching the vessels instead of living aboard them. The company's Southampton article also records an order for ten electric underwater robots from Saab Seaeye in Fareham, Hampshire, showing links with other south coast engineering firms.
On people and culture, the offshore press says the company was recruiting in Southampton and Austin and was setting up a training system for people from varied backgrounds, which suggests a willingness to bring in people from different careers. We found no values page and no information about team size. Its own description of the work focuses on technology, safety and the environment.
The jobs include remote vessel operators, marine engineers, survey and data specialists who turn sonar readings into maps, software and control-system developers, robotics technicians, and support teams in health and safety, logistics and finance. Seafaring and engineering qualifications are useful, but so are data, computing and maths skills. Look at the company's website for where the current UK vacancies sit.
Website: oceaninfinity.com
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