Marine data provider Xocean to create 300 jobs in Louth

The company has doubled its headcount to over 200 over the past 12 months and plans to grow it further to 500 over the next two years

Xocean equipment is used to collect marine data for international customers.

Ocean data provider Xocean has announced it will create 300 new jobs at its base in Louth as part of expansion plans amid a growing offshore wind market.

The marine-tech company has doubled its headcount to over 200 over the past 12 months and plans to grow it further to 500 over the next two years.

“Xocean continues to experience rapid growth, driven largely by the major expansion of the international offshore wind market and the need for clean, renewable energy globally,” said James Ives, Xocean CEO.

The business has designed and manufactured marine robotics called Uncrewed Surface Vessels (USVs) used to map the seabed and monitor ocean environments for Xocean’s international customer base including government agencies.

The jobs announcement followed the opening of the company’s technical centre, where Xocean engineers and robotic experts will work to ensure vessels are serviced on returning from offshore missions all over the world.

Xocean was founded in Ireland in 2017 and has a presence in Ireland, the UK, the US, Canada, Norway and Australia.

In 2021, Xocean received €8m to accelerate its growth in an investment led by VentureWave Capital.

The ocean economy is expected to be worth more than $3tn (€2.6tn) by 2030, according to a 2016 report from the OECD, driven largely by the demand for renewable energy development across the globe.