Photo by DinapixStudio
People working at the forefront of cutting-edge maritime technology are pushing for changes to regulations they say are holding them back. Plymouth, the National Centre for Marine Autonomy, has a thriving hub of businesses at Turnchapel Wharf developing vessels that operate without a crew, with their calls for change being backed by the local MP who has raised the issue in Parliament with the secretary of state for defence.
Bertie Ratsey, business development manager at ZeroUSV which operates a fleet of autonomous vessels from its base at Turnchapel Wharf, said “There’s so much excitement here about what could go on – there’s a really amazing group of companies all based down here and all operating in the UK and leading in the world.” Ratsey said an unmanned vessel his firm has created has been certified for use in Canada, but can only operate under strict restrictions in the UK.
“Very capable unmanned platforms that are safe and reliable are not able to go out and prove their worth,” Ratsey stated. He said his firm and others were not able to move at the speed they would like to due to the Maritime and Coastguard Agency regulations in place for autonomous vessels, adding “If it continues to go on like this the UK and if you don’t have a local industry being able to push on, then we might not be in the same place in five years.”
Strategic Defence Review recognises Plymouth role
The Strategic Defence Review in 2025 recognised Plymouth’s leading role in marine autonomy. The firm Oshen, also based at Turnchapel Wharf, is working with the Ministry of Defence on using its robots for anti-submarine warfare. The company develops and creates small autonomous vessels about a metre long that can be controlled remotely around the world to gather data.
Anahita Laverack, the company’s CEO, said the MCA needed to update its policies to meet the demands of emerging technology. “Right now if you put a propeller on a rubber duck it’s legally categorised as a vessel. What we’re really keen to see is something that actually clarifies what is and isn’t a vessel, especially at the smaller scale of things.”
Parliamentary pressure and political support
The Conservative MP for South West Devon, Rebecca Smith, has twice raised the issue in Parliament. On Monday, she asked Secretary of State for Defence John Healey if he would commit to putting further pressure on government legal services to update legislation. Healey responded by saying a shipbuilding and marine autonomy plan would be published shortly which would show exactly what the government is doing on a number of fronts.
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch visited Plymouth on Friday to pilot one of the unmanned vessels and said she would like to make it easier for companies to test them in the city. Due to regulations being different in other countries, she said businesses were missing out. “People are going to Portugal or to Canada. They should be coming to the UK – to Plymouth. I want to see what we can do to help.”
A spokesperson for the MCA said “The MCA has implemented clear, flexible approval routes for autonomous vessels, with several having already been certified under existing frameworks. We continue to work with partners, including in the defence sector, to expand trials, provide support for innovators, and ensure the UK remains a world leader in maritime autonomy.”