The Royal Navy will be involved in Europe’s first maritime operations and training centre for robotic vehicles.

Joined by Seabot XR and the UK National Oceanography Centre (NOC), the three have agreed to establish the National Centre for Operational Excellence in Marine Robotics. The centre will deliver new standards of training using the world-renowned facilities at the NOC and other satellite facilities in Southampton and on Loch Ness.

Requirements for marine robotics training are very different from existing training. To plug this gap, a curriculum is being created specifically for autonomous and remote vessel surface and sub-surface operations to ensure a workforce, like the Royal Navy’s, has the necessary skills and knowledge to operate such craft.

A combined training and testing site will be established where companies can try out their autonomous/remote-controlled vessels as well as tap into pioneering training designed for military and civil marine operations.

Reference

Navy News. (2021) Robotic Training Complex Created. Navy News. July 2021, pp.30.