Ocean Signal

What Ocean Signal does

Ocean Signal Ltd is a UK-based designer and manufacturer of maritime safety electronics, headquartered in a 19,200 square foot facility in Margate, Kent. Founded in 2008 and operating as a subsidiary of Florida-based ACR Electronics since May 2015, the company produces emergency distress beacons, man-overboard devices, and AIS communication equipment under two product brands: rescueME (consumer and recreational) and safeSEA (professional and commercial). Core technology integrates 406 MHz Cospas-Sarsat satellite distress alerting, AIS, GPS/GNSS positioning, NFC smartphone connectivity, DSC, and Return Link Service into miniaturized form factors described as the world's most compact EPIRB and smallest AIS MOB with integrated DSC.

The product portfolio spans personal locator beacons (PLB1, PLB3), EPIRBs across multiple categories (EPIRB1/Pro, EPIRB2/Pro, EPIRB3, safeSEA EPIRB3 Pro), MOB devices (MOB1, MOB2, safeSEA M100/M200), AIS transceivers (ATB1, ATA100), SARTs, VHF radios, electronic distress flares, and hydrostatic release units. Distribution runs through the company's own e-commerce storefront and a global dealer network shipping via DHL Express to UK/Europe and FedEx to USA/Canada, reaching customers in 100+ countries across recreational boating, commercial maritime, fishing, and professional racing segments.

The revenue model is pure one-time hardware sales with no subscription fees, supported by extended warranty registration and periodic battery replacement services through authorized dealers. Products are priced from $109.95 (HR1E accessory) to $1,044.95 (safeSEA EPIRB3 Pro), with anchor consumer SKUs (PLB1 at $399.95, EPIRB3 at $899.95) positioned against regulatory compliance (Cospas-Sarsat, MED, USCG, FCC, Class M) and durability attributes (48+ hour operation, 10-year battery life). Ocean Signal operates alongside sister brand United Moulders Ltd from its Margate headquarters, with cumulative production exceeding 100,000 PLBs, 70,000+ EPIRBs, and 100,000 MOB devices since inception.

Name

Ocean Signal

Legal name

Ocean Signal Ltd

Website

https://oceansignal.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Ocean Signal Ltd is a UK-based manufacturer of maritime safety electronics producing distress beacons (EPIRBs, PLBs), man-overboard devices, AIS transceivers, and SARTs under the rescueME and safeSEA brands, serving recreational boaters, commercial operators, fishing fleets, and professional mariners globally through dealer and e-commerce channels.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Maritime Safety Equipment

NAICS

Search, Detection, Navigation, Guidance, Aeronautical, and Nautical System and Instrument Manufacturing (334511)

SIC

Search, Detection, Navagation, Guidance, Aeronautical Sys (3812)

akta.pro primary industry

Marine Safety & Navigation Electronics Retail (PFDs, EPIRBs, GPS, VHF) (CRAMAIAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

Life-Saving Appliances & Safety Equipment (Davit Systems, Lifeboats, Firefighting) (IMAJAIAG)

Keywords

• Maritime safety equipment
• Personal locator beacons
• EPIRB distress beacons
• Man overboard devices
• AIS transceivers

Headquarters

HQ city

Margate

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Emergency Beacon Hardware Sales: One-time purchase model for distress beacons (EPIRBs, PLBs) and maritime safety equipment. No subscription fees required. Products are sold directly through e-commerce and through global dealer network. Revenue generated from initial hardware purchase with supporting battery replacement and warranty services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Ocean Signal designs and manufactures maritime safety equipment, including personal locator beacons (PLBs), emergency position indicating radio beacons (EPIRBs), man overboard (MOB) devices, electronic distress flares, and AIS transceivers. The company sells under two main brands—rescueME for the recreational market and safeSEA for commercial maritime operators—operating from its headquarters in Margate, United Kingdom.

Product overview

Ocean Signal is a maritime safety equipment manufacturer producing emergency distress beacons and survival communication devices. The portfolio includes rescueME-branded personal locator beacons (PLB1, PLB3), EPIRBs (EPIRB1/Pro, EPIRB2/Pro, EPIRB3), man overboard devices (MOB1, MOB2), electronic flares (EDF1, EDF2), and AIS transceivers. The separate safeSEA brand covers professional-grade EPIRBs (EPIRB3 Pro), VHF radios (V100, V200), SARTs (S100, S200), AIS MOB devices (M100, M200), and emergency beacons (E100/E100G). Supporting products include the ATB1/ATA100 AIS transceivers, AIS Alarm Box, and hydrostatic release units. The company operates alongside sister brand United Moulders Ltd (UML) at its Margate, UK headquarters. Products are distributed through a global dealer network with pricing ranging from $109.95 (accessories) to $1,044.95 (professional EPIRBs).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• rescueME: Product range including PLBs, EPIRBs, MOB devices, and electronic flares
• safeSEA

Products and services

• rescueME Personal Locator Beacons (PLBs)
• rescueME Man Overboard (MOB) Devices
• rescueME Electronic Distress Flares
• safeSEA EPIRBs
• safeSEA AIS Transceivers

Quantifiable outcome

• More than 100,000 PLBs and 70,000+ EPIRBs produced, demonstrating market trust and product reliability
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration7 records

Feature8 records

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Garmin Ltd. Global marine electronics incumbent offering GPS, AIS, VHF radios and EPIRBs as part of a much broader portfolio spanning chartplotters, fishfinders and consumer wearables. While not specialized in safety beacons like Ocean Signal, Garmin's scale, channel power and integrated product ecosystem create competitive pressure in the recreational maritime segment where both companies sell.
• Raymarine (Teledyne FLIR): Major marine electronics brand under Teledyne FLIR offering chartplotters, radar, AIS, VHF radios and integrated bridge systems. Comparable to Ocean Signal's safeSEA VHF and AIS transceiver lines, but Raymarine operates at much broader scope and competes mainly through OEM dealer and OEM boat-builder channels.

Direct peers

• Jotron AS: Norwegian manufacturer of EPIRBs, SARTs, AIS transponders and GMDSS communication equipment for commercial shipping and offshore. Highly comparable to Ocean Signal on regulatory positioning (MED, Wheelmark) and target buyers (commercial maritime operators, fishing fleets, offshore).
• Standard Horizon (Yaesu Musen): Marine VHF radio competitor whose GX-series radios are explicitly compatible with Ocean Signal's MOB1/MOB2 DSC alerting (GX5500S and others). Comparable product overlap in fixed-mount and handheld GMDSS VHF, with similar distribution through marine electronics dealers worldwide.
• Icom Incorporated: Direct competitor to Ocean Signal in GMDSS handheld VHF radios (ICOM M91, M323, M423 etc.), and the VHF models Ocean Signal MOB devices integrate with via DSC. Overlaps with the safeSEA V100/V200 product lines and serves the same commercial maritime and SOLAS-compliance buyer.
• Kannad Marine (Orolia): Direct EPIRB and PLB competitor under the same Orolia/McMurdo group, offering similar Cospas-Sarsat and AIS-enabled distress beacons. Overlaps with Ocean Signal's product line (EPIRBs, PLBs, AIS MOB) and serves the same recreational and commercial maritime segments.
• McMurdo (Orolia / Safran Electronics & Defense): One of the most established direct competitors to Ocean Signal in EPIRBs, PLBs and GMDSS safety products. McMurdo and Ocean Signal compete head-to-head across SOLAS-compliant distress beacons and SARTs for commercial and recreational maritime markets, and both sell through overlapping global dealer networks.
• Plastimo (Bainbridge International): French marine safety equipment maker with overlapping product categories including lifejackets, harnesses, and distress signaling. Comparable to Ocean Signal's broader marine safety portfolio sold through chandlery and dealer networks serving recreational boaters across Europe.
• GME (Standard Communications Pty Ltd): Australian manufacturer of EPIRBs and personal locator beacons with strong Asia-Pacific distribution. Directly comparable to Ocean Signal in 406 MHz distress beacon technology and recreational/professional maritime customer base, with overlapping Cospas-Sarsat-certified product portfolios.

Emerging players

• Weatherdock AG: German specialist in AIS-based man overboard devices and maritime safety electronics. Niche overlap with Ocean Signal's rescueME MOB1/MOB2 and safeSEA M100/M200 product lines, focused primarily on European inland and coastal markets with a smaller, less geographically diversified footprint.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/OceanSignal
• Facebookfacebook.com/OceanSignalLtd
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ocean-signal
• Instagraminstagram.com/oceansignalltd

Compliance20 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Ocean Signal