Al Marakeb from UAE showcases its new Unmanned Surface Vessel B7 at UMEX 2018.

The UAE-based Boat Manufacturing Company Al Marakeb, a leading maritime company building high-performance glass reinforced plastic (GRP) and marine autonomous vessels, showcases its latest development of unmanned surface vessel (USV) technologies called B7 at the Unmanned Systems Exhibition and Conference (UMEX) 2018, in Abu Dhabi, UAE.

The new B7 Unmanned Surface Vessel USV manufactured by the UAE-based Company Al Marakeb at UMEX 2018 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (Picture source Army Recognition)

The United Arab Emirates is embarking on ambitious plans to achieve global lead in innovative technologies, with a focus on artificial intelligence, Internet of Things (IoT) and autonomous systems.

“Remotely controlled vessels and autonomous ships are no longer a vision of the future; rather they are a reality of today,” states Basel Shuhaiber, CEO of Al Marakeb, an Emirati manufacturer of GRP Vessels and Marine Autonomous solutions.

Al Marakeb introduced its first Unmanned Surface Vessel [USV] the B7 to the market at IDEX 2015. The 7m model, entirely designed and built in its local manufacturing facilities in the UAE, equipped for security and surveillance. They have since showcased their growing fleet of USV models, broader applications for both commercialand defense practices, as well as advanced autonomous conversion devices and command and control stations.

Last year, the company stepped up its operations by launching the B7x- dual use vessel for both manned and unmanned operations.

Al Marakeb seeks to utilize major events, including IDEX and UMEX, to highlight success achieved in and the implementation of Unmanned Technologies, and to bolster reach on a local, regional as well as global scale.

To endorse this direction, this year brings a collaboration between USV manufacturer Al Marakeb and Tawazun, the country’s strategic investment firm focused on the long-term development of industrial manufacturing and technological capabilities particularly for the defense sector.

In December 2017, Tawazun, through one of its new initiatives, signed an agreement with Al Marakeb, establishing collaboration on the development and upgrade of USVs for multiple uses, including defense, homeland security, and maritime security, as well as civil applications.

Commenting on the agreement, Abdulla Al Huwar, Associate Director at Tawazun, said: “This collaboration fulfils the national interest and provides an opportunity for Al Marakeb to benefit from a Tawazun’s soon-to-be launched initiative in defense and security sectors.”