Irish marine robotics company Xocean has announced plans to hire 100 more employees in the next six months, after a successful 2021 saw the company triple its revenue. It made history last week by undertaking the first uncrewed vessel survey in Irish waters.

The roles currently on offer include uncrewed service vessel (USV) mechanics, electrical technicians, electrical design engineers, geophysicists, data processors and surveyors.

Since it commenced operations in 2019, Xocean has seen demand for its services grow across the globe. The team has grown from 41 to 120 staff over the last 12 months and it plans to continue its rapid-growth trajectory this year.

The company received significant investment last year to develop its ocean tech. It raised €8m in a Series A funding round last September to expand its USV fleet and secured a €1.7m EU grant last May.

Xocean’s provides turnkey data collection services to surveyors, companies and agencies. Its uncrewed marine technology has delivered over 100 projects to date for some of the world’s largest companies. The company currently operates in 16 jurisdictions across North America, Europe and Asia.

The robotics company said its USVs offer improved safety as operators remaining onshore. The vehicles also improve efficiency with 24/7 operations and have environmental benefits, as they emit just one thousandth of the carbon typically produced by traditional offshore survey vessels.

Commenting on the recent Irish waters survey, the company’s CEO James Ives said: “Our USV platform has demonstrated itself to be a safe, reliable and low carbon solution for the collection of ocean data. We are delighted to be working in Irish waters and in collaboration with Dundalk Institute of Technology, on this important environmental project.”

The robotics company’s unmanned vessel is around the size of an average car at 4.5 metres and half its weight, at 750kg. Throughout the Irish survey, Xocean’s team of mariners and surveyors monitored the USV 24 hours a day to ensure safe navigation and that the highest quality data was collected.

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