Australia's Ocius establishes maritime facility in New Zealand

The new Ocius maritime maintenance facility in Auckland, New Zealand. (Ocius Technology)

Sydney-based Ocius Technology has opened its first overseas maritime maintenance facility in Auckland, New Zealand.

Ocius announced on 13 October that the new facility, operated by its wholly owned subsidiary Ocius New Zealand (Ocius NZ), is intended to provide local maintenance and technical support for the Royal New Zealand Navy's (RNZN's) fleet of Bluebottle unmanned surface vessels (USVs).

Following a seven-month trial period, the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF), along with New Zealand's customs agency, acquired two Bluebottle USVs in April 2025 to enhance the country's maritime surveillance and border security capabilities.

“The facility … gives Ocius a strategically located base in the Pacific as demand for autonomous maritime surveillance continues to grow across the region,” the company said.

Ocius CEO Robert Dane said the company has worked with the RNZN for two years to enhance maritime awareness and combat transnational organised crime.

“The establishment of Ocius NZ means Bluebottles can be maintained locally and returned to the water as quickly as possible, helping maximise their availability and persistent presence at sea,” he added.

Bluebottle USVs can remain at sea for long periods by using solar, wind, and wave energy, providing intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) without requiring continuous crewed operations, Ocius noted.

Rear Admiral Garin Golding, chief of the RNZN, said USVs form an important part of the NZDF's shift towards “smarter, more sustainable maritime surveillance”. The Ocius NZ facility will enable the Bluebottle USVs to spend more time at sea, strengthening New Zealand's national security, he added.