Expanding Maritime Autonomy Operations: Strategic Implications for Singapore
Sector Maritime Autonomy / Defence Technology
Company Ocean Power Technologies, Inc. (NYSE: OPTT)
Headquarters Monroe Township, New Jersey, USA
Report Date February 23, 2026
Geographic Focus Singapore & Southeast Asia
Relevance Defence, Port Operations, Blue Economy
- Executive Summary
Ocean Power Technologies (OPT) has released an operational update on February 23, 2026, announcing the deployment of a WAM-V® autonomous surface vehicle (ASV) to Greece and the transition of its integrated autonomous docking and recharging program from prototype to full-scale development. These developments, combined with advances in autonomous navigation through its collaboration with AI firm Mythos AI, mark a significant step forward in OPT’s ambition to build a scalable, persistent maritime autonomy infrastructure for both defence and commercial markets.
For Singapore — a city-state whose economic lifeblood depends on the secure, efficient flow of maritime commerce through the Singapore Strait and whose government is investing heavily in autonomous maritime systems — OPT’s trajectory carries strategic, operational, and commercial relevance across multiple domains. - Company Background & Technology Portfolio
Founded in 1994, OPT initially commercialised wave energy conversion technology through its PowerBuoy® platform. Over time, the company has diversified into a full-stack maritime autonomy provider, offering:
WAM-V® (Wave Adaptive Modular Vessel): A twin-hulled USV platform designed for harsh ocean conditions, adaptable for ISR, hydrographic survey, environmental monitoring, and defence applications.
PowerBuoy®: Solar- and wave-energy-powered offshore platforms providing remote power and data communications — a foundational technology for persistent unmanned offshore presence.
Merrows™ Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA): An AI-capable platform integrating sensor data across multiple maritime platforms for command-and-control applications.
Autonomous Docking & Recharging Infrastructure: A new program under development targeting a 2026 early access commercial launch, enabling autonomous systems to dock, recharge, and redeploy without human intervention.
Mythos AI Integration: An AI collaboration focused on perception, decision-making, and autonomous navigation in dynamic maritime environments. - Key Operational Developments (Feb 2026 Update)
3.1 WAM-V® Deployment to Greece
OPT has shipped a WAM-V® ASV to Greece in support of ongoing customer operations in a region of significant maritime strategic importance. The deployment signals the maturation of OPT’s international operational footprint and its ability to execute cross-border deployments for defence and commercial maritime clients. The Eastern Mediterranean deployment provides OPT with a proving ground for ASV endurance in conditions relevant to South and Southeast Asian open-ocean environments.
3.2 Autonomous Docking & Recharging: From Prototype to Full-Scale
Arguably the most commercially significant announcement is OPT’s transition of its integrated docking and recharging program to full-scale build. The company has placed component orders for system integration and open-water validation. Targeted for early commercial access in 2026, this capability addresses the critical ‘persistent autonomy’ bottleneck — enabling USVs to operate continuously without requiring a support vessel or harbour return for battery replacement or crew change.
This development has direct relevance to Singapore’s interest in persistent, low-manpower maritime surveillance and logistics operations, particularly in the Singapore Strait — one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes with over 1,000 vessel transits daily.
3.3 Mythos AI Navigation Collaboration
OPT’s partnership with Mythos AI has advanced perception algorithms, situational awareness, and autonomous decision-making for dynamic maritime environments — an essential capability for operating in congested, high-traffic waterways such as the Singapore Strait, where collision avoidance in real-time is a primary regulatory and safety concern. - Singapore Maritime Context
Singapore has articulated a clear national strategy around maritime digitalisation and autonomy. Key policy frameworks and initiatives create a highly receptive environment for OPT’s technology offerings:
4.1 Maritime Digitalisation Blueprint 2030
Coordinated by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) and Enterprise Singapore, the Blueprint establishes autonomous surface ships (MASS), AI-powered port operations, and digital maritime infrastructure as national priorities. MPA has established regulatory sandboxes for autonomous vessel trials and maritime drone estates — exactly the environment required for OPT’s open-water validation work.
4.2 Republic of Singapore Navy MARSEC-USV Programme
Since January 2025, the RSN has operationalised its Maritime Security Unmanned Surface Vessels (MARSEC-USVs), developed in collaboration with DSTA and DSO National Laboratories. These vessels conduct autonomous patrols through the Singapore Strait using an indigenously developed Collision Detection and Collision Avoidance (CDCA) algorithm. The RSN’s operational experience with USVs positions Singapore as a sophisticated buyer and potential partner for OPT’s enhanced autonomy stack.
4.3 Multi-Role Combat Vessel (MRCV) Programme
Launched in October 2025 at ST Engineering’s Benoi shipyard, the RSN’s new MRCV-class warships are designed as autonomous-systems motherships — capable of deploying and commanding fleets of USVs, UAVs, and underwater drones. OPT’s WAM-V® and its planned docking infrastructure represent a category of systems directly compatible with Singapore’s evolving naval architecture.
4.4 Tuas Port Automation
Singapore’s Tuas Port — when fully completed in the 2040s — is projected to be the world’s largest fully automated container port, capable of handling 65 million TEUs annually. Persistent, autonomous offshore monitoring and logistics support vessels will be essential assets in this ecosystem, directly aligned with OPT’s infrastructure development roadmap.
4.5 Singapore Maritime Institute (SMI) & PIER71™
SMI’s collaborative R&D programmes with NTU, NUS, and A*STAR, alongside MPA’s MINT Fund (which has supported over 1,800 researchers and deployed 80+ technologies), represent potential funding and co-development pathways for OPT to establish a Singapore R&D or regional operations hub. - Strategic Impact Assessment for Singapore
Domain Strategic Impact Level
Maritime Security OPT’s WAM-V® and Merrows™ MDA platform complement RSN’s MARSEC-USV fleet and emerging MRCV autonomous-systems doctrine, offering interoperable, commercially-proven assets for border surveillance and threat interdiction. High
Port & Logistics OPT’s autonomous docking and recharging network could serve as critical infrastructure for persistent offshore support operations at Tuas Port and offshore energy installations in Singapore’s exclusive economic zone. High
Blue Economy & R&D OPT’s technology is compatible with MPA’s MASS testbed and MINT Fund objectives, potentially attracting OPT’s Asia-Pacific operations hub to Singapore and generating high-value maritime technology employment. Medium
Offshore Energy OPT’s PowerBuoy® platforms and persistent autonomous monitoring systems are directly applicable to Singapore’s offshore wind development and southern island renewable energy infrastructure. Medium
Defence Industry Singapore’s DSTA and DSO, already experienced with autonomous maritime systems, could leverage OPT’s Mythos AI collaboration and WAM-V® operational data to accelerate indigenous capability development. High
Regulatory Leadership OPT’s open-water validation program aligns with MPA’s ambition to position Singapore as a global regulatory sandbox for MASS, contributing real operational data to IMO’s MASS Code development (non-mandatory code targeted for May 2026). Medium
- Opportunities for Singapore Engagement
6.1 Technology Partnership & Procurement
The RSN’s MRCV programme, with its emphasis on modular autonomous systems deployment, presents a natural procurement pathway for OPT’s WAM-V® USVs and Merrows™ MDA platform. Singapore’s track record of integrating multi-national defence technology (Swedish, Danish, French, Italian, and Israeli systems aboard the MRCV) suggests openness to engaging OPT as a system integrator or subsystem provider.
6.2 Autonomous Docking Infrastructure Pilot
MPA’s maritime innovation sandbox framework, combined with the operational complexity of Tuas Port’s offshore approach zones, presents an ideal environment for OPT to conduct its open-water validation of the docking and recharging network. A Singapore pilot would provide OPT with a high-credibility reference site in a globally watched maritime hub.
6.3 PIER71™ & SMI Collaboration
OPT’s AI collaboration with Mythos AI and its persistent autonomy infrastructure programme are well-suited to co-development arrangements under Singapore’s Maritime Innovation & Technology (MINT) Fund. OPT could also benefit from linkages to NTU’s and NUS’s maritime robotics research programmes, several of which are active participants in international Maritime RobotX competitions.
6.4 Asia-Pacific Regional Hub
As OPT expands its international footprint from the Mediterranean to the broader Indo-Pacific, Singapore’s position at the geographic heart of Southeast Asia, its English-language legal system, bilateral defence relationships, and first-class maritime services infrastructure make it an optimal location for an Asia-Pacific operations and engineering hub. - Risk Considerations
Competition from indigenous programmes: Singapore’s DSTA and DSO have demonstrated significant capacity to develop autonomous maritime systems internally (MARSEC-USV, CDCA algorithm). OPT must demonstrate clear capability differentiation to compete.
Regulatory compliance: Operating in Singapore’s congested waters requires strict adherence to MPA and COLREG autonomous navigation standards. OPT’s Mythos AI-driven autonomy stack must be benchmarked against Singapore’s rigorous V&V frameworks.
Geopolitical sensitivity: Defence technology exports to Southeast Asia involve complex US export control considerations (EAR/ITAR). OPT must ensure full regulatory compliance for any Singapore defence engagements.
Financial scale: OPT remains a micro-cap company (NYSE American: OPTT). Singapore partners and procurement authorities will require confidence in OPT’s financial durability for long-term programme commitments.
Technology maturity: The autonomous docking and recharging programme has not yet completed open-water validation. Singapore engagements may need to be structured around a pilot/phased approach until full operational readiness is demonstrated. - Conclusions
Ocean Power Technologies’ February 2026 operational update reflects a company at a pivotal inflection point — transitioning from niche technology provider to credible infrastructure developer for persistent maritime autonomy. For Singapore, the convergence of OPT’s capability development trajectory with Singapore’s own maritime digitalisation ambitions, naval modernisation programme, and Tuas Port automation roadmap creates a substantive basis for strategic engagement.
The most immediately actionable opportunity lies in positioning OPT’s autonomous docking and recharging infrastructure as a pilot programme within MPA’s regulatory sandbox environment, with potential downstream procurement by the RSN and commercial port operators. The Merrows™ MDA platform also merits evaluation alongside Singapore’s existing maritime domain awareness architecture, particularly given the RSN’s increasing reliance on multi-domain autonomous systems coordination.
Singapore should engage OPT as a prospective partner in MPA’s MASS testbed programme and SMI’s R&D collaboration framework, with a view to anchoring OPT’s Asia-Pacific operational presence in Singapore and capturing the associated knowledge transfer, employment, and technology ecosystem benefits.