Thank you to Ryan and his team at Turnchapel Wharf for hosting a really good visit and introducing me to a number of key businesses on their site.
The Marine Business Park they have developed really is the home of UK Maritime Autonomy. The Former MOD site still has some reminders of it's former history on site - see the photo attached!
Darren from Fugro introduced me to the the world of geo-data and how they work to survey both land and the sea bed to inform planning, building and the maintenance of structures. Their Turnchapel base also trains men and women from across the world through their impressive simulators (and a sand pit!).
I'd seen some of the autonomous vessels which Thales are developing for the Royal Navy on site here in Plymouth before but it was great to see how far they have come. With the ability to have equipment to conduct exercises like mine-sweeping on board, these vessels are part of the future of the UK defence. Thanks to Neil for the tour including showing some of the dummy mines they use for testing.
Finally, really interesting to meet Matthew and Ollie from Marine AI. You may have heard of the Mayflower Autonomous Ship which travelled from Plymouth to Plymouth, Massachusetts with no human on board in 2022. The team at Marine Ai were a key part of this mission and have worked closely with local business, M Subs Ltd.
The work of Marine Ai is remarkable and worth a look if you've not come across them before!
All in all, a fascinating visit and great to see the game-changing work being done here in South West Devon.
