AltaSea, a blue economy research and development hub at the Port of Los Angeles in San Pedro, has announced a long-term else with Blue Robotics, considered a global leader in low-cost, high-performance underwater robotics.
The lease for 10 years and 49,000 square feet will bring the Blue Robotics headquarters and production facility to AltaSea’s 35-acre campus. The lease was announced on Monday, Nov. 24, with a celebration that took place at the facility two days earlier.
The campus is a hub of ocean technology companies and research that is tied in to several universities.
“The move to AltaSea provides Blue Robotics with direct access to the ocean for testing and development of advanced marine robotics systems,” said AltaSea President and CEO Terry Tamminen in a written statement that also noted the location also provides collaboration opportunities with tenants already conducting research at the ocean-front hub at 2451 S. Signal St.
Founded in 2014 by Rustom Jehangir, Blue Robotics has focused on what is possible in marine exploration through affordable marine robotic components and remotely operated underwater vehicles (ROVs). The company has a broad international customer base that includes researchers, scientists, educators, students, and ocean industry professionals and enthusiasts.
Blue Robotics is pushing to redefine what is possible in marine exploration through affordable marine robotic components and remotely operated underwater vehicles (ROVs). The company has a broad international customer base of researchers, scientists, educators, students, and ocean industry professionals and enthusiasts.
Currently headquartered in Torrance, Blue Robotics has long partnered with AltaSea. Those ties will have an opportunity to deepen after it is based at the campus near the port’s iconic and historic Warehouse One building at the outer harbor.
“We are absolutely stoked to bring our operations to AltaSea’s campus,” Jehangir said in the written statement. “Being a part of the vibrant community they have built will be a game-changer for us.”
The location also provides access to the ocean “right outside our door to test our next generation of marine robotics systems.”
The new 49,000 square-foot space will house Blue Robotics’ full range of operations, from research and development to assembly and production of its advanced marine robotics product line. The long-term lease also provides Blue Robotics with a location that offers unparalleled access to the ocean for testing, demonstration, development, education, and public outreach, as well as close proximity to AltaSea’s network of partners and collaborators.
Los Angeles City Councilmember Tim McOsker, former CEO at AltaSea, said the lease will be a boon to the research hub, providing not only innovation in ocean exploration but also good jobs.
The agreement marks one of the largest single leases in AltaSea’s history, according to the research center. AltaSea’s Center for Innovation section is now about 85% leased.
The hub is designed for ocean-focused innovation and collaboration that includes renewable energy, aquaculture, and marine conservation and ocean exploration.
Earlier this month, the Port of Los Angeles’s Board of Harbor Commissioners unanimously approved an agreement to AltaSea’s lease, unlocking critical infrastructure and reimbursements form the port. Earlier this summer, Eco Wave Power launched the first-ever onshore wave energy station in the U.S.