Ocius continues to build momentum across defence and international markets.
During the past two months, the company has strengthened its position as a leader in autonomous maritime systems through continued customer engagement, international market development and significant milestones in production and deployment.
New Zealand Expansion
Ocius has continued to expand its presence in New Zealand, taking possession of a dedicated maintenance facility in Auckland. The facility has been established to provide local support to the Royal New Zealand Navy fleet of Bluebottles while positioning Ocius for future opportunities within the New Zealand defence market. The facility has the capability to be converted to a production facility in the future.
Bluebottle vessels TAHI and RUA remain deployed with the Royal New Zealand Navy (RNZN) and continue to demonstrate the value of persistent autonomous maritime surveillance in operational service. The RNZN successfully deployed Bluebottles in Fiji in August, demonstrating to the Fiji Government and Republic of Fiji Navy the tactical employment of Bluebottles.
The New Zealand market remains an important foundation for Ocius’ long-term international growth strategy.
Bluebottles Supporting Pacific Security
At the Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting in late August and early September, particular attention was given to maritime domain awareness challenges facing Pacific Island nations, including Fiji, and the role autonomous maritime systems can play in supporting sovereign surveillance capability at substantially lower cost.
Speaking at the Forum, the Australian Minister for Defence Industry, the Hon. Pat Conroy MP, made clear the Government’s intention to support Fiji via the provision of Bluebottles:
“We’ve got the multi-billion dollar Pacific Maritime Security Program that is already in place. We are looking at acquiring further Bluebottles to support this effort, starting with Fiji as part of our work with them. The Bluebottle is an Aussie success story, the most advanced maritime surveillance autonomous vessel in the world. We’re acquiring 55 of them for Australia, the largest fleet of such a category made in Morisset on the shores of Lake Macquarie and in Sydney, a bit of a local plug. We’ll be acquiring some for Fiji.” Minister Pat Conroy MP
Vale Blanche d’Alpuget
Vale Blanche d’Alpuget, a remarkable person whom we had the privilege of knowing since Susie and I met Bob Hawke in 2001. Throughout the years, she was a great champion of the Solar Sailor/Ocius vision and a source of enormous encouragement to us personally.
After the passing of Bob, Susie and I had the pleasure of spending time with Blanche often and grew to appreciate the highly intelligent, funny, adventurous and wonderfully original person she was.
We will remember her with enormous affection and gratitude and feel very fortunate to have known her.
Ocius Announces Subcontracts with ThayerMahan and Thales for Sonar Systems
One of the most important features of the Bluebottle is its ability to carry thin line acoustic sonar arrays for maritime surveillance.
In August, Ocius announced that it has awarded ThayerMahan a contract to deliver 40 Outpost acoustic intelligence payloads with TransparenSea processing software, under the Royal Australian Navy’s SEA1200 program to combat undersea threats.
At the same time, Ocius announced that it has selected Thales Australia’s Australian-manufactured BlueSentry thin line arrays and BlueSentry acoustic processing for integration onto Bluebottle USVs to support Australian Maritime Border Command operations to the north of Australia.
The Bluebottle is designed to be array-agnostic, able to carry whichever array best suits the mission and the customer.
Bluebottle BB717 Christened
A highlight during the period was the christening of Bluebottle BB717 by Head of Naval Shipbuilding and Sustainment Group (NSSG) at the Department of Defence, Sheryl Lutz. BB717 is the second vessel delivered under Ocius’ SEA1200 contract and marks an important milestone in the delivery of vessels under Ocius’ growing production program.
International Naval Visits
Ocius hosted representatives from the Indian Navy, including Admiral Krishna Swaminathan, Vice Chief of the Naval Staff of the Indian Navy. This continued our engagement with one of the world’s largest naval forces. Discussions focused on persistent maritime surveillance, autonomous systems and potential future cooperation opportunities.
Ocius also welcomed representatives from the Japanese Maritime Self Defence Force and the Malaysian Armed Forces Defence College during the period, showcasing Bluebottle capabilities and discussing future opportunities for autonomous maritime surveillance and domain awareness within the region.
Presentation to Five Eyes Ministerial Meeting
Ocius was pleased to showcase the Bluebottle to the Australian Home Affairs Minister, the Hon Tony Burke MP, and his counterparts from Five Eyes countries: the US, UK, Canada and New Zealand. The event at HMAS Kuttabul allowed Ocius to showcase Bluebottle capabilities to relevant ministers in key target markets.
New York Stock Exchange Feature
Ocius received welcome international exposure through an interview with the New York Stock Exchange. The feature provided an opportunity to showcase Australian innovation and the global growth potential of autonomous maritime systems.
Watch the full interview here: Robert Dane, CEO, Ocius Technology – YouTube
SMM Hamburg
In early September Robert Dane was invited to speak at SMM Hamburg, one of the world’s leading maritime industry exhibitions.
The event provided valuable opportunities to engage with defence organisations in the EU, technology partners and potential customers from around the globe.
Cruising Yacht Club Sponsorship
Ocius was pleased to support the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia by sponsoring the Ocius NSW Youth Match Racing Championship in late August 2026.
The partnership strengthens Ocius’ connection to Australia’s maritime sector while supporting events that celebrate innovation, seamanship and engagement with the ocean environment that inspires much of our technology development.
The winning team with Ocius’ Marine Support Crew Dante Olivier (far left) and Head of Business Development, Nick Rozenauers (far right).
Ocius staff sailing
Congratulations to Chelsea Williams, Ocius GCO and Engineer, and her team from the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia, on becoming the 2026 Australian Women’s Match Racing Champions.
At OCIUS, we’re proud to support a team of talented people who excel both in and out of the workplace – and have many passionate sailors as staff.
Ocius Wins Marketing Award
Ocius won a marketing award for its recent brand refresh, together with its strategic communications provider, House of Kitch. The award was announced at the awards night for the marketing industry’s peak body, Communications and Public Relations Australia.
This is the first occasion a defence-focused company has won a major mainstream marketing award.
AFR Higher Education Awards Finalist
We were delighted to join University of NSW after it was named a finalist in the Australian Financial Review Higher Education Awards for its collaboration with Ocius.
The recognition highlights the strength of the long-standing partnership between Ocius and UNSW and acknowledges the important role Australian universities play in the development of maritime technology capability and innovation more broadly.
Recent media has also highlighted collaborative work between Ocius and UNSW to further enhance Bluebottle capabilities: Ocius and UNSW to upgrade Bluebottle fleet – Australian Defence Magazine
Thank you
We thank our shareholders for their continued support as Ocius scales from an innovative technology company into a globally recognised provider of autonomous maritime capability.
Please be on the lookout for information about separate upcoming events: the official Ocius factory opening and the AGM.
Robert Dane CEO
September 2026
