Marine safety firm to expand globally

A YORKSHIRE business dedicated to “saving the man in the water” is targeting UK and global markets after an ambitious multi-million pound expansion and investment.

Marine Rescue Technologies (MRT) manufactures specialist man overboard monitoring, alerting and tracking systems and has invested in new manufacturing and assembly facilities and offices, increasing its suite of products, and its employee numbers in the process.

Operating as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Mobilarm, which is listed on the Australian Perth exchange, the Beverley-based company has big plans, says chief executive officer, Ken Gaunt, which includes opening new premises abroad and in the UK.

“We are here, we mean business and we’re really excited about the opportunities the next few years will bring,” said Gaunt, who has seen staff headcount in Beverley rise steadily since 2012, from 13 to 28.

“We have already invested millions in facilities, resources, employees, product development and training in the first phase of investment and expansion. As a business we want to lead the industry with innovation and passion to constantly improve maritime safety. Our business is dedicated to saving the man in the water.”

MRT is a world leader in specialist man overboard monitoring, alerting and tracking systems for a number of sectors, including oil and gas, helicopter transfer, offshore wind farms, aqua culture, seismic and general maritime.

Its customers include ABP, Bond Aviation Group, BP, Bristow Group, CGG, WesternGeco, Siemens, PGS, CHC Helicopter, Shell and Total.

As well as its East Yorkshire site, the company operates in Australia with offices in Perth and Sydney, and in Nigeria through a joint-venture partner.

Gaunt said: “We will open new facilities in Aberdeen and in the US in Houston, Texas, in the foreseeable future, extending our global reach so that moving forward and buoyed by our new products and facilities, we fully expect our customer rental and service base to grow significantly in the coming two to three years.

“We have a very different vision to other companies in the sector as 100% of our focus is on the man overboard market – we are a sophisticated, specialist, dedicated man overboard business.”

The firm has also been developing new products, such as a new helicopter transfer beacon.

Gaunt said: “We will continue to invest in new technology with our own R&D facilities, trialling products to suit specific market requirements while leading the market with compliance to national and international regulatory standards.

“As far as regulation is concerned, we know what is coming and are looking to grow our rental and service customer base to meet the regulatory and market challenges ahead.”

Mobilarm bought MRT in 2011 from David Marshall, who founded the business in 1974 in the aftermath of the Gaul trawler tragedy.

Gaunt, originally from Zimbabwe, but having lived in Australia before relocating to the UK to grow the business, moved MRT’s operations, and its successful Sea Marshall brand, to Beverley from Middleton-on-the-Wolds.

He has brought the bulk of Mobilarm’s Australian operations to East Yorkshire and enlisted the experience and guidance of chairman Sir Tim McClement, the former Royal Navy Vice-Admiral.

“Our local and maritime connections are fundamental to how we move our business forward. We employ locally as much as we can and we have also entered into an apprenticeship programme with East Riding College here in Beverley,” Gaunt said.

The majority of product components are manufactured in the UK and assembled on site in Beverley with specialised software written locally, too.