Ocean Power Technologies Inc (NYSE-A:OPTT), a provider of ocean energy and intelligent data services, is using its technology to combat illegal fishing practices and support marine conservation.
The company's vice president for sales and marketing Matt Burdyne joined Proactive's Steve Darling with more details of a contract to provide WildAid and Caribbean Law Enforcement with an OPT WAM-V 16 Uncrewed Surface Vessel (USV) equipped with an integrated quadcopter aerial drone. The technology will empower law enforcement agencies and conservation organizations to safeguard marine life from illegal harvesting while ensuring the sustainability of these critical ecosystems.
Proactive: Tell us about the partnership with WildAid and the Caribbean Law Enforcement.
Absolutely, and there are some things we can't speak about. But I think this is really a testament to the efforts that we started to undertake some time ago, looking at diversifying our markets, building the pipeline continuing to grow and really emboldening our approach in maritime security through a number of different avenues.
Our work with WildAid to date and and what we're looking at doing moving forward, is going to be a key contributor to maritime security and the use of robotics and intelligence at sea.
The type of technology that's going to be used is an interesting part of this because people may say, if it's unmanned, how would you know what's going on? But there is obviously a lot of technology around using vehicles, drones and video. I know you can only tell us so much, but tell us what you can.
Specifically, with this operation, we're looking to use the WAM-V to look for and identify illegal fishing and other illegal activities that go on on the ocean. In our case, the WAM-V is an unmanned surface vehicle, and it will be able to patrol and look for and identify potential threats, that law enforcement can then go and further interrogate.
Being able to do this remotely, as well as being able to capture the footage without having to put people in harm's way, is really critical infrastructure that I think will continue to show why it can be such a powerful force for law enforcement, both within the Caribbean and globally.
Also, because of the size of the units, it's a lot safer for the marine species that are there as well. And as you mentioned, you don't have to have large boats and things like that. So there are a lot more advantages than you've already mentioned.
Correct, and the way that this system operates with the WAM-V is the hulls actually articulate. So regardless of sea state, you're going to get less noise within the ocean. Almost as important is your ability to operate regardless of the sea state, or regardless of the weather environment, for the most part, is certainly critical.
Lastly, what does this say about the company as well? This is a pretty interesting undertaking for your company. Obviously, you're showcasing your crafts, but you're also trying to help solve a real problem that is not only in the Caribbean but really around the world.
Absolutely. There are real challenges in a number of areas. I talked about diversified markets; defensive security in and of itself as a series of sub-markets. I think we've all seen press releases of what's going on overseas; sabotaged pipelines among a myriad of other challenges. These are all areas that our technologies continue to support, both in defense and security as well as commercial. I think we've seen further press releases from us recently that show the approach that we've taken, the pipeline that we're building, and the solutions we can bring to the market.
Although we serve different markets, it's a similar or same type of solution that can serve both the commercial and the defense and security world. So it's continuing to embolden the approach that we're taking as we are providing more utility to our customers from all of our platforms. In many cases, what you'll see is that the solution that we can provide, although the problem may be similar or slightly different, is the same in many aspects between both the commercial industries as well as the defensive security.
This interview was edited for style and clarity