SRT Marine Technology, a global market leader in the provision of maritime domain awareness technologies and systems, has opened new offices in Regents Court, Cardiff following the acquisition of a Cardiff based company with ground breaking 3D virtual reality visualisation technology.
First started five years ago as a spin-off from the University of South Wales with assistance from Welsh Government funding, GeoVS was the brain-child of Rafal Goralski who had a vision for providing real-time virtual reality 3D display systems for the maritime industry. SRT Marine, which is headquartered in Midsomer Norton near Bath, has now acquired the company to enhance and expand its vessel tracking and monitoring system offer. The deal to secure offices in Cardiff for SRT was brokered on behalf of the landlord by Cooke & Arkwright.
Simon Tucker, Chief Executive Officer of SRT said, “We acquired GeoVS only recently and have already signed a number of significant commercial deals for licensing and customisation. This technology is the first of its kind in the world. It’s an extremely exciting development and is pioneering the ability create a digital virtual reality domain from real world data in real time. This translates into significantly enhanced maritime domain awareness for authorities and professional mariners. The software is attracting huge interest globally, including from the Panama Canal, Dubai Ports and the world’s largest port in China. Our first new contract was for one of the biggest oil companies in the world.”
Kate Simpson, Senior Surveyor in Business Space at Cooke & Arkwright said, “We were able to act very quickly for SRT, who were keen to open their new offices as soon as possible.”
Mr Tucker confirmed that they were able to kit out their new accommodation within 48 hours. “Kate was very tenacious in closing this deal for us,” he said. “The accommodation is perfect for Research & Development as people need an environment where they can relax and have the space to be creative. It is good to bring customers to and provides an ideal area for demonstrations and training.”
New staff have been recruited locally in Cardiff, including R&D technicians and software engineers. Rafal Goralski, the brains and visionary force behind GeoVS has also been retained. “We have taken Rafal’s development and brought commercial rigour to the product,” said Mr Tucker. “We have ‘polished’ it and provided the proper support and sales expertise which will fully capitalise its potential in the global market.”
Mr Tucker added that the company had fared well during the credit crunch of recent years. “Ours is a global market place and while the west has been suffering, the rest of the world has plenty of money. We have continued to grow and expand, and now, our GeoVS 3D virtual reality technology will enable us to broaden and enhance our offer to our global network of 150 marine focused customers. Core demand generally for AIS continues to grow annually and this is reflected in the increasing frequency with which we receive orders from existing customers.”
SRT was founded in 1987, establishing wireless technology research and development. From 1999 it began developing Automatic Identification System (AIS) technology, focussing on the maritime environment, and in 2007 it brought out the world’s first low cost AIS (Class B) transceiver. The company’s track record in providing leading-edge R&D skills that translate into commercially viable and operationally reliable products and systems has now gained a first-class international reputation.
SRT Marine Technology is a wholly owned subsidiary of Software Radio Technology plc, a London AIM Stock Market listed company. The group provides a wide range of maritime domain awareness technology and product solutions to a global network of partners, designed to significantly enhance port and waterway safety and security.