The Best in Tech Play at the Port of Hueneme

ANTX-Coastal Trident Technology Exercise and Open House

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September 23, 2021 – Day two of the open house of the Advanced Naval Technology Exercise (ANTX) and Coastal Trident programs was a success with over 300 people representing partner organizations attending today’s event at the FATHOMWERX Lab located inside the Port of Hueneme.

Kristin Decas makes opening remarks on day two of the ANTX-Coastal Trident 2021 Technology Open House

Kristin Decas, CEO & Port Director of the Port of Hueneme, kicked off the collaborative event by welcoming attendees and companies that work on green technologies in the maritime sector.

“We are excited to see all of the organizations represented here today and we look forward to working on projects highlighting solutions for the global supply chain issues and our goal of decarbonization,” said Kristin Decas, CEO & Port Director.

Kristin Decas, CEO & Port Director at the Port of Hueneme; Bryan Went, Co-founder and Co-CEO of Matter Labs, Director, FATHOMWERX

ANTX promotes increased awareness towards current and near-term capabilities and collaboration in the development of technical solutions to operational needs. The event provided opportunities for technical and operational stakeholders to discuss gaps in capabilities and work together on new technological solutions.

“The engagement between high tech solutions partners and maritime sector stakeholders in port operations, emergency response and environmental solutions to enable very important collaboration and innovation throughout Ventura County,” said Oxnard Harbor District President, Jason T. Hodge.

On display at ANTX was a Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP), designed to withstand improvised explosive device (IED) attacks and ambushes

The event was created to help with the alignment of technology partners and the priorities of the military and government stakeholders. It is the culmination of five months of training, exercise, and field experimentation activities conducted by the Navy, the Port, and other partners in the public and private sector.

Alan Jaeger, NavalX Ventura Tech Bridge Director at the Office of Research and Technology/Applications Manager at the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Port Hueneme; Christina Birdsey, Chief Operations Officer, Port of Hueneme; Bruce Stenslie, President & CEO, Economic Development Collaborative

“We are excited to support the technology transition and transfer efforts with our Port and maritime partners,” said Alan Jaeger, Ventura Tech Bridge Director at the Office of Research and Technology Applications Manager at the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Port Hueneme. “Through programs such as Coastal Trident, we can continue to accelerate capabilities to our Fleet and first responder community and leverage the unique resources and infrastructure available at the Port of Hueneme.”

Saildrone displays an uncrewed surface vehicle (USV), equipped with advanced sensors and machine learning technology. These vessels have a minimal carbon footprint, as they are predominantly powered by wind and solar energy

Bruce Stenslie, President and CEO of the Economic Development Collaborative stated that his organization works to foster create economic growth for the region.

Maritime Arresting Technologies demonstrates deployment of its unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV) capture net, used to secure high-value assets

“This asset — the FATHOMWERX Lab, the partnership with the Port and the Navy — is the primary means we have discovered of bringing businesses to Ventura County,” said Stenslie. “Just in the last couple of years, we’ve facilitated business access to small business innovation research grants from businesses all over the country who want to come here to gain access to these assets. That’s our number one way of attracting people here.”

Since 2007, Coastal Trident has been a venue for organizations to come together and collaborate on solutions to threats in the port and maritime domains.

“We are thrilled to be able to continue this program in 2021 and look forward to collaborating with our broad community of stakeholders next year and beyond,” said Brendan Applegate, Director of Experimentation at Naval Sea Systems Command, Port Hueneme.

Brendan Applegate, NSWC PHD and Principal Investigator, ANTX-Coastal Trident, on dock at the Port of Hueneme, overseeing testing of underwater safety technology