Next Monday, 11th November, will see the announcement from the marine domain awareness specialist SRT Marine Systems (LON:SRT) of its Fundraising details covering its latest mega-$213m contract.
The Business
Founded in 1987, the company was formerly known as Software Radio Technology and changed its name to SRT Marine Systems in July 2016.
Based at Midsomer Norton, near Bath, the £88m capitalised group, which listed on AIM in 2005, develops and supplies automatic identification system (AIS) based maritime domain awareness technologies, products, and systems.
The company's solutions are used in a range of maritime applications, such as maritime safety, security, management, and efficiency in waterways, ports and infrastructures, coasts, and open ocean.
It serves mariners, infrastructure owners, coast guards, and fishing authorities in the UK, rest of Europe, the Middle East, North America, South East Asia, and internationally.
The company offers systems, such as:
DAS-Digital ATON, a system that enhances port and waterway traffic control and navigation safety;
NAIS-National Vessel Tracking System, a vessel identification and tracking system solution;
MDM-Coastguard, a maritime domain surveillance system;
VMS-Fisheries, a system for monitoring, managing, and controlling fishing vessels; and
VTS-Ports and Waterways, a monitoring, managing, and controlling system for maritime infrastructure, ports, and waterways.
It also provides AIS Aids, VMS, search and rescue, vessel, and navigation transceivers; small boat trackers; fishing buoy trackers; base stations; display and data solutions; satellite data solutions; OEM AIS transceivers; and AIS transceiver modules, as well as develops and sells maritime communication products and systems.
The Strategic Investor – Ocean Infinity
The net proceeds of the Fundraising were to fund working capital to strengthen the company's balance sheet and facilitate the growth of both the surveillance systems and navigation transceivers businesses.
In a cracking move SRT brought in a very useful new business contact in the shape of Ocean Infinity, which is a marine technology company specialising in the development and deployment of robotics for large-scale, subsea data acquisition.
Ocean Infinity is developing a range of innovative technologies to transform operations at sea, enabling people and the planet to thrive.
Since its establishment in 2017, OI has pioneered the use of fleets of robotics to play a vital part in ambitious offshore projects, including the search for missing airliner MH370, and the discovery of the missing Argentinian submarine, ARA San Juan.
It now serves governments, energy organisations and scientific institutions all over the world.
Employing more than 500 technology and data specialists located in offices and operations centres across Europe, South East Asia, North America and Australasia, Ocean Infinity owns and operates a fleet of advanced robotic lean/uncrewed ships.
As well as over 20 robotic ships currently in operation or in build it has a fleet of subsea robots which it can deploy from the ships or on a stand-alone basis to deliver a wide variety of outcomes for its clients.
Significant $213m MDA System Contract
On Monday 7th October SRT announced that it had received a formal contract award notification from a sovereign government Ministry for a contract worth $213m to deliver an integrated SRT maritime surveillance system.
The contract is for SRT to provide their national coast guard with a new state-of-the-art national maritime surveillance system that integrates numerous multi-sensor surveillance platforms, both fixed and mobile, along with several integrated command centres located across the country.
The contract includes the turn-key delivery of the system within 2 years, followed by a 10-year support and maintenance package.
CEO Simon Tucker stated that:
"This is a large and hugely exciting new project with a new customer in a new country, and the second contract of this scale to convert from our validated sales pipeline in the last 18 months.
This new SRT system will equip the customer with significant maritime surveillance and intelligence capabilities which will assist in ensuring the safety, security and sustainability of their marine domain.
We are honoured to have this prestigious new customer and look forward to implementing and operationalising the system over the next 2 years, as well as further projects as this ambitious customer grows their capabilities in the future."
System Contract Finance Support Package
On Monday 28th October the company declared that it had agreed a substantial investment and short-term finance bridge support package from existing shareholder Ocean Infinity, together worth approximately £31m.
It involves the issue of 21.5m new shares @ 35p each to raise £7.5m gross, underwritten by OI, as well as the latter providing a $21.4m guarantee for a contract performance bond.
Simon Tucker, CEO of SRT Marine Systems, commented:
"This financing package enables SRT to make a truly transformational commercial leap and very significantly accelerate the financial performance of the Company through the simultaneous delivery of over $400m of contracts and with capacity for more.
Besides the obvious product and technology synergies between OI and SRT in the MDA space, we are fortunate to have this level of support which enables us to confidently deliver on these contracts whilst also taking full advantage of our growing pipeline of future opportunities which we expect to continue to grow, and deliver a flow of more new contracts."
OI CEO Oliver Plunkett, who will be appointed a non-executive director, stated that:
"This contract awarded to SRT in which Ocean Infinity will play a key supporting role is precisely the kind of opportunity to work together that we foresaw when we first invested in the Company.
We strongly believe in the relationship, the wider market opportunity for maritime data and systems, and the long-term potential for both companies to continue working together for the benefit of our clients and each other.
That long term vision is why we have seized this opportunity to provide additional equity funding to SRT as well as help out in the short term with a bridge guarantee which will facilitate SRT providing the necessary up front contractual guarantees to their customer as they wait for UKEF to complete their processing."
In My View
The closer relationship of Ocean Infinity and SRT should prove highly beneficial to both parties.
Next Monday morning’s announcement of the financing details should be more than interesting.
The group’s shares have been as low as 10.35p during this year, and as high as 51.32p.
This little company is a global leader in its field and now has powerful allies and significant contracts ahead.
Its shares, now at just 41.35p, could burst away in price as the big contract gets underway, as well as the impact of the group securing other such business wins.
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