Davie and Kraken partner up to produce autonomous vessels and systems in Canada

Photo: Davie

Québec-based Davie and U.K.-based Kraken Technology Group (Kraken) have announced a strategic collaboration to establish Canadian production, integration and development of Kraken’s autonomous solutions.

Davie will provide Canadian capacity and capability to produce, integrate and develop Kraken’s advanced uncrewed surface vessels, and next-generation autonomous maritime systems.

The agreement also provides a framework to combine Kraken’s unique technology with Davie and its affiliates’ transatlantic shipbuilding footprint.

The announcement comes as Western governments are increasingly prioritizing autonomous and AI-enabled maritime capabilities

Philip Burns-O’Brien, senior vice-president commercial development at Davie Shipbuilding, said: “This collaboration represents a leap in our evolution as a next-generation maritime industrial leader. The future of maritime security will see crewed and autonomous vessels operating seamlessly across vast distances in the world’s most contested environments. Kraken brings world-class autonomous vessel technologies. Davie brings scale, advanced shipbuilding infrastructure and a record of delivering mission-critical vessels on time and on budget.”

James Davies, CEO, Davie Shipbuilding, said: “This announcement reflects our strategy to combine next-generation innovation with industrial capability and capacity. In a new era of maritime competition, autonomous vessels will matter as much as crewed ships. Governments need trusted partners like Davie and Kraken to deliver the most advanced autonomous technologies at speed and scale. The National Shipbuilding Strategy created a strong foundation. Now Canada and its allies must build on it to restore Western maritime strength.”

Lindsey Kettel, president, Davie Shipbuilding, said: “By combining innovative technologies with Canadian industrial expertise, this collaboration exemplifies Canada’s ‘Build, Partner, Buy’ policy. Bringing together Kraken’s advanced autonomous systems with Davie’s scale, capacity and shipbuilding expertise, we can establish Canada as an autonomous maritime leader, while strengthening Québec’s role at the heart of Canada’s shipbuilding industry.”

Mal Crease, CEO of Kraken Technology Group, said: “This partnership with Davie is a significant opportunity for us to continue growing our footprint in North America. The ability to accelerate production and deployment of our modular, scalable and proven platforms will ensure that we can deliver to our customers across the defence, security and commercial domains. Combining innovation with industrial capacity is paramount to the future of our security at sea and we look forward to delivering this with Davie.”

With an offshore racing history and DNA, Kraken Technology Group was founded in 2020 to meet the growing requirement for modular, scalable and affordable maritime defense capabilities. A British company, Kraken has expanded cross-continent and is now producing and exporting its proven platforms to NATO countries globally. Kraken’s current range includes K3 Scout, K5 Kraken, and K7 Sabre unmanned surface vessels; as well as the K4 Manta unmanned surface subsurface platform. Kraken’s facilities are each able to produce up to 1,000 units per year in support of allied maritime requirements.