Oceanworks International, Inc.

What Oceanworks International, Inc. does

OceanWorks International is a privately held Canadian subsea technology company headquartered in Burnaby, British Columbia, that designs and manufactures manned and unmanned underwater systems for naval, oil and gas, and oceanographic science customers worldwide. The portfolio centers on atmospheric diving systems (the HARDSUIT family), submarine rescue vehicles (PRMS FALCON, ASRV REMORA), and seafloor observatory infrastructure including Primary and Secondary Nodes, Subsea Instrument Interface Modules (SIIMs), Medium Voltage Converters, and Subsea Uninterruptible Power Supplies (UPS). Core technologies include a patented articulated mating skirt for submarine rescue at angles up to 60 degrees, NATO-standard compatible rescue interfaces, and modular subsea power and instrumentation systems rated to depths of 3,000 msw. The company is one of only eight civilian organizations certified for U.S. Navy Deep Submergence Systems Scope of Certification Work and operates an ISO 9001:2008 quality system elevated to NAVSEA standards.

The business runs on a project-based revenue model combining custom engineering, fabrication, and equipment delivery for military and commercial customers, with a recurring Integrated Logistics Support (ILS) revenue tail across the deployed fleet. Pricing is bespoke per specification — depth rating, certification, configuration — with multi-year procurement cycles typical for navy buyers. Distribution is exclusively direct enterprise sales to government defense procurement offices, naval organizations, and major oil and gas operators, supported by participation in NATO SMERWG working groups, industry events (Oceanology International, Subsea Tieback Forum, CANSEC, Oceans Conference), and a long-running technical white paper series. The customer base spans nine navies across North America, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia-Pacific, alongside commercial accounts including Petroleum Geo-Services, Marine Well Containment Company, Ocean Networks Canada, CSnet International, and FORCE.

Operations are anchored by a single Burnaby manufacturing and engineering facility, supplemented by strategic alliances with Harris Corporation (CSnet OCB program), Schneider Electric (subsea power distribution), Hydroacoustics Inc. (hydroacoustic integration), and Istanbul Shipyard (Turkish Navy three-ship rescue vessel program). Revenue is project-lumpy and exposed to defense procurement cycles; ownership is independent with no disclosed parent, institutional capital, or public funding rounds.

Name

Oceanworks International, Inc.

Legal name

OceanWorks International

Website

https://oceanworks.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Short description

OceanWorks International is a privately held Canadian subsea technology company that designs and manufactures manned and unmanned underwater systems—including atmospheric diving suits, submarine rescue vehicles, and seafloor observatory networks—for naval, oil and gas, and ocean science customers worldwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Subsea Engineering & Manufacturing

NAICS

Ship Building and Repairing (336611), Ship and Boat Building (33661), Search, Detection, Navigation, Guidance, Aeronautical, and Nautical System and Instrument Manufacturing (334511)

SIC

Ship & Boat Building & Repairing (3730)

akta.pro primary industry

Manned Submersible & Deep-Sea Research Vehicle Manufacturing (IMAJAOAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Unmanned Underwater Vehicle (UUV) & Autonomous Submersible Manufacturing (IMAJAOAC), Unmanned Underwater Vehicles (UUV) & Autonomous Subsea Platforms (IMABAIAF), Maritime Unmanned Systems (USV/UUV) & Control Stations (IMABAKAJ)

Keywords

• Subsea systems engineering
• Submarine rescue vehicles
• Atmospheric diving systems
• Seafloor observatory networks
• Subsea power distribution

Headquarters

HQ city

Burnaby

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Subsea Systems and Products: Sale of manufactured subsea hardware including Atmospheric Diving Systems, submarine rescue vehicles, seafloor network nodes, power distribution equipment, and subsea fluid injection systems. Revenue recognized upon delivery of equipment, typically project-based with custom engineering.
2. Engineering Services: Custom engineering services including systems engineering, solid modeling and animation, structural and mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, and advanced testing and systems integration. Provided as standalone consulting or bundled with product delivery.
3. Fabrication Services: Custom fabrication, build-to-print services, and factory/harbour/at-sea acceptance testing for subsea equipment. Includes welding capabilities meeting API 1104, AWS, ASME standards for various materials.
4. Integrated Logistics Support (ILS): Through-life product support including spare parts supply, maintenance planning, training, obsolescence management, and operations support. Can include COCO, GOCO, and GOCM service arrangements.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

OceanWorks International designs, engineers, and manufactures manned and unmanned subsea systems for military, oil and gas, and scientific customers worldwide. Core offerings include Atmospheric Diving Systems (ADS), tethered Remotely Operated Rescue Vehicles (RORVs) with patented articulated mating skirt technology, submarine emergency ventilation and decompression systems, seafloor observatory networks (nodes, SIIMs, converters, UPS), launch and recovery systems, subsea fluid injection systems, and integrated logistics support.

Product overview

OceanWorks International offers a comprehensive portfolio of subsea technology products and services for military, oil and gas, and scientific customers. The core product portfolio centers on Atmospheric Diving Systems (ADS) like the HARDSUIT™ Quantum for manned underwater work, and submarine rescue systems including the Pressurized Rescue Module System (PRMS) FALCON with patented articulated mating skirt technology. For seabed monitoring, the company provides complete cabled ocean observatory solutions built around Primary Nodes, Secondary Nodes, SIIMs (Subsea Instrument Interface Modules), Medium Voltage Converters, and Subsea UPS systems. Supporting products include Launch and Recovery Systems (LARS), Submarine Emergency Ventilation & Decompression Systems (SEVDS), Subsea Fluid Injection Systems, and Emergency Life Support Stores (ELSS). The portfolio is complemented by Integrated Logistics Support (ILS), Engineering Services, and Fabrication Services. These products work together as integrated systems: for example, observatory networks combine Primary/Secondary Nodes for power distribution and communication, SIIMs for instrument connectivity, and UPS for autonomous power, while submarine rescue operations combine RORV vehicles with LARS handling systems and SEVDS ventilation equipment.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Pressurized Rescue Module System (PRMS) FALCON A tethered, remotely operated rescue vehicle with articulated mating skirt technology capable of carrying up to 18 personnel per mating cycle to distressed submarines at depths up to 650 meters. Designed for international naval submarine rescue programs.
• HARDSUIT Quantum Atmospheric Diving System (ADS) A one-atmosphere diving suit enabling divers to work at depths up to 600 meters without decompression, used for submarine rescue and subsea intervention operations by military and commercial clients.
• Submarine Emergency Ventilation & Decompression System (SEVDS) Surface-supplied umbilical systems that supply disabled submarines with fresh air, controlled exhaust, and in-situ decompression at depths up to 600 meters.
• Subsea Fluid Injection System Modular subsea chemical storage and pumping systems for chemical injection at remote wellheads, including flexible bladder modules and associated pumping units, interconnecting for larger reservoir operation.
• Subsea Instrument Interface Module (SIIM) Pressure vessel containing power supplies and hardware for connecting multiple instruments with varying control, monitoring and power requirements, supporting up to 10 instruments per unit via dry-mate connectors.
• Primary Node (Seafloor Network) Large modules connected to backbone cables that distribute power (1kV to 10kV input, 375VDC output), gather data, and control instruments for cabled ocean observatories, with trawl-resistant frames and ROV-removable electronics pods.
• Secondary Node (Seafloor Network) Expansion nodes that extend seafloor network range up to 10km from primary nodes, providing distribution of intermediate voltage power and communications via ROV-wet mate connectors.
• Medium Voltage Converter (MVC) Power conversion unit that converts backbone medium voltage (1kV to 10kV) power to intermediate voltage (375VDC) for distribution to network components, with a design life exceeding 10 years.
• Subsea Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) Autonomous subsea power source with modular battery modules providing capacity from 50kWhr to 1MWhr, designed for 25-year life with 5-10 year battery maintenance cycles and graceful degradation on module failure.
• Launch and Recovery System (LARS) Surface handling and heave compensation systems for deploying subsea systems including ADS, ROV systems, and tools, available in various configurations from A-frame to davit systems.
• Subsea Power Distribution & Control System Integrated power distribution system providing monitoring and control infrastructure for subsea oil and gas instrumentation and instrumentation overlays.
• Emergency Life Support Stores (ELSS) Pressure vessels for transferring food, water, medical supplies, oxygen candles, and CO2 scrubber materials to disabled submarines, compliant with STANAG 1391.
• Ship Interface Template Sets (SITS) Structural interface templates allowing vessels of opportunity to rapidly install submarine rescue system connection points, reducing load-out time for rescue operations and compatible with NATO NSRS and US Navy PRMS systems.
• Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROV) Remotely operated vehicles for submarine rescue missions including wide area search, submarine location, hatch clearing, and salvage operations at depths exceeding 6000 meters.
• Cabled Ocean Observatories Complete seafloor network systems for continuous ocean monitoring, available in near-shore, coastal, regional, and buoyed configurations with integrated data processing and control centers.
• Integrated Logistics Support (ILS) Comprehensive through-life product support for military and commercial subsea systems including reliability engineering, maintenance planning, spare parts supply, training, obsolescence management, and operations support under COCO, GOCO, and GOCM arrangements.
• Engineering Services Specialized engineering services including systems engineering, solid modeling and animation, structural/mechanical/electrical engineering, and advanced testing and certification for subsea and marine equipment.
• Fabrication Services Fabrication of subsea field development hardware, structures, and tooling including ROV frames, tool skids, PLETs, PLEMs, choke and kill lines, jumpers, pipe spools, and custom subsea equipment with welding capabilities meeting API 1104, AWS, and ASME standards.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 1,000,000 hours of deployed seafloor node time across 4 networks
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers15 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Hydroacoustics, Inc. (HAI)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 October 2015OceanWorks International and Hydroacoustics, Inc. (HAI) announced an agreement combining and integrating the companies' capabilities, announced October 2015. The partnership integrates OceanWorks' subsea systems expertise with HAI's hydroacoustic technology.
• Harris Corporation / Harris CapRock CommunicationscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 May 2011OceanWorks formed a strategic alliance with Harris Corporation (later Harris CapRock Communications) for the design, build, and test of the CSnet International Offshore Communications Backbone (OCB). Harris CapRock was commissioned to manage the design/build/test of the OCB by CSnet International, with OceanWorks as the primary subsea systems manufacturer. OceanWorks subsequently delivered seafloor nodes, high power nodes, and node pod refurbishments.
• Istanbul ShipyardcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerIstanbul Shipyard engaged OceanWorks International as a key subcontractor to provide submarine rescue, intervention, and diving systems for three dedicated submarine rescue ships being built for the Turkish Navy. OceanWorks provides submarine rescue intervention systems, saturation and surface mixed gas diving systems, hyperbaric chambers, and ship interface templates. Istanbul Shipyard serves as the naval prime contractor.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• JFD (James Fisher Defence): Designs and manufactures submarine rescue systems, including the NATO NSRS (Submarine Rescue System), and operates as a prime contractor for submarine escape and rescue on behalf of multiple navies — directly comparable to OceanWorks' PRMS FALCON/REMORA RORV business and shared navy customer base.
• Phoenix International Holdings: Provides manned and unmanned submarine rescue, intervention, and recovery services for the U.S. Navy and other customers. Comparable to OceanWorks on the operations, intervention, and submarine-rescue side of the business.
• Saab Seaeye: Manufactures tethered and autonomous underwater robotic vehicles including the Sea Wasp and Sabertooth AUVs used for defense, scientific, and offshore inspection missions. Comparable to OceanWorks' ROV and RORV product families and shared defense/civilian customer overlap.
• Forum Energy Technologies: Supplies subsea vehicles, ROVs, intervention tooling, and launch-and-recovery systems primarily for the offshore oil & gas and renewable energy markets. Directly overlaps with OceanWorks' Oil & Gas segment, including LARS, subsea intervention tools, and ROV-based tooling.
• Hydroid (Huntington Ingalls Industries): Manufactures REMUS family of autonomous underwater vehicles widely used by navies for mine countermeasures, surveillance, and survey. Directly comparable to OceanWorks' RORV and ROV unmanned subsea vehicle portfolio serving defense customers.
• Atlas Elektronik: Supplies naval unmanned underwater vehicles, sonar systems, and submarine combat systems to NATO and allied navies. Overlaps with OceanWorks on defense-side unmanned underwater vehicles and broader naval subsea systems.

Broad incumbents

• Oceaneering International: The largest integrated subsea solutions provider, offering ROVs, AUVs, intervention tooling, manufactured subsea hardware, and offshore services. A much broader incumbent than OceanWorks, with significant overlap in subsea hardware and intervention capabilities.
• Kongsberg Maritime: Produces HUGIN AUVs, subsea sensors, and integrated subsea systems for naval, scientific, and offshore markets. A broad incumbent with overlapping products in autonomous subsea platforms and naval maritime systems.
• Teledyne Marine: Manufactures subsea instruments, sensors, AUVs, and acoustic systems used across oceanographic, defense, and offshore markets. Comparable to OceanWorks' instrument and observatory components business (SIIMs, nodes, power systems) and as a broader subsea instrument incumbent.

Others

• Subsea 7: Global subsea engineering, construction, and services contractor for the offshore energy industry. Adjacent rather than directly competitive — comparable in market context but focused on installation and SURF services rather than the specialized rescue and intervention hardware OceanWorks sells.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/OCEANWORKS
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/oceanworks-international

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

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 Oceanworks International, Inc.