News
Former Smith's Yard reaches full capacity following major investment by UK Docks Marine Services
ALL four dry docks at the former Smith's Dockyard on Teesside were full this week for the first time since the 1980s under one operator, following major investment by UK Docks Marine Services. The milestone is positive news for the port and Teesside, underscoring a bright future for ship repair and maintenance on the river.
ACUA Ocean and Forssea Robotics Complete Successful ROV–USV Integration
ACUA Ocean, a leader in uncrewed surface vessel (USV) technology for maritime defence and offshore energy applications, and Forssea Robotics, a specialist developer of high-performance remotely operated vehicles (ROVs), today announced the successful completion of integration trials pairing Forssea's ARGOS ROV with ACUA Ocean's USV Pioneer; with positioning support from Sonardyne, utilising a pole mounted mini-ranger 2 system.
90POE launches Crew Docs AI - catching passport errors before crew changes fail
90POE (Ninety Percent of Everything) has launched Crew Docs AI, an AI document check built into the passport verification workflow of OpenOcean STUDIO Crew. Crew Docs AI reads each passport as it is uploaded, compares it with the crew record and flags only the fields that need a second look, so errors and compliance issues are caught at verification, not at the airport. It is a practical application of AI to one of the most common causes of failed crew changes.
Margaritaville at Sea’s Beachcomber arrives in Belfast for major transformation at Harland & Wolff
Margaritaville at Sea’s new flagship, Beachcomber, has arrived at Harland & Wolff in Belfast to begin a major transformation at the shipyard. The arrival marks the start of the largest cruise ship revitalisation project undertaken at the Belfast yard since its acquisition by Navantia UK, with the multi-million-pound programme expected to generate approximately £40 million for the Belfast region.
SMI Attends Conservative Party Conference 2026
The SMI team has been in Birmingham this week attending Conservative Party Conference 2026
Labour Party Conference Signals a Maritime Shift
The maritime debate surrounding Labour Party Conference 2026 extended beyond the speeches delivered in Liverpool. As delegates gathered on Sunday 27 September, the Cabinet Office announced that the National Shipbuilding Office would oversee all future civil ship procurement across government; the following day, Chancellor John Healey used his conference speech to place major investment in British shipbuilding within his vision for a “new age of industrialisation”. Although the announcements came through different channels, together they pointed towards a more strategic approach to maritime capability, connecting procurement more explicitly with economic growth, national security and industrial resilience
Robosys Integrates VOYAGER AI with FarSounder Forward Looking Sonar, Advancing Situational Awareness for Superyachts and USVs
Providence, RI – Robosys Automation, a leader in autonomous navigation and vessel control systems, has announced the integration of its VOYAGER AI Autonomous Navigation System (ANS) software with FarSounder’s Forward Looking Sonar (FLS) technology, delivering enhanced real-time situational awareness, obstacle detection, and navigation decision support for both luxury superyachts and Uncrewed Surface Vessels (USVs).
UK Docks joins the Society of Maritime Industries (SMI)
UK Docks Marine Services has joined The Society of Maritime Industries (SMI), the trade association for the UK’s maritime engineering, science and technology community. The membership represents an important step for both organisations and reflects a shared commitment to supporting the growth, innovation and long-term success of the UK's maritime sector.
SMI Council Leadership Spotlight: Adam Dennett
Our spotlight series on the people behind SMI's Councils continues with Adam Dennett, Chair of SMI's Digital Technology Group and CEO of SpecTec.
MarRI-UK Soft-Launches the UK Maritime Technology Roadmap
MarRI-UK soft-launches the UK Maritime Technology Roadmap, bringing together stakeholders from across the maritime sector who have played a vital role in shaping its development.
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