Ocean Craft Marine To Create ‘Maritime Innovation Lab’

Ocean Craft Marine, a rigid hull inflatable boat (RHIB) builder and maritime solution provider, will invest more than a quarter billion dollars over the next 10 years to establish the an independent maritime innovation laboratory, the company announced on Wednesday.

The goal of the laboratory, called the Accelerator for Innovation in the Maritime Ecosystem (AIME), will be to enable ideation, collaboration, cross-pollination and integration among and between maritime industry peers in order to accelerate industry innovation especially within, but not limited to, the professional and military segments, the Annapolis, Md. based company said.

“AIME may be the single most important development in the maritime industry since sails gave way to steam engines,” said Roy Nourha, Ocean Craft Marine CEO. “Not only will it help us explore and define the future of the maritime industry, it will change the way the industry operates, speeding the process significantly because we will all be choosing collaboration over siloed work, transparency over secrecy and partnership over competition.”

“We have long been dedicated to being a solution provider for our professional, military and recreational users,” said Todd Salus, Vice President of Operations at Ocean Craft Marine. “This initiative is just the latest way we are driving that mission forward. We are accelerating the innovation process by giving everyone a place to experiment, learn and grow together faster than anyone could do on their own, including the U.S. Military.”

Ocean Craft Marine said it is inviting any and all maritime companies, including its existing partners, associates and peers, to collaborate in AIME. Ocean Craft Marine also seeks players from other industries who see a maritime application for their product.

Nourha added, “We work in a collaborative environment and we’re inviting anyone who wants to come play in our sandbox to do so. Innovation has been moving at a slow pace. If you make a maritime solution and you’re interested in driving the industry forward, we hope you will partner with us to accelerate innovation.”

The AIME Lab is part of Ocean Craft Marine’s larger initiative to provide thought leadership to the global professional and military maritime community. Now with AIME, Ocean Craft Marine is available for all professional and military maritime consulting opportunities.