Vice Lord-Lieutenant of Somerset Presents SEA with King’s Award for International Trade

SEA has been formally presented with the King’s Award for International Trade by the Vice Lord-Lieutenant of Somerset, Robert Drewett at the company’s One Team Day.

The King’s Award for International Trade recognises UK businesses that have demonstrated exceptional growth in overseas earnings and commercial year-on-year growth over a period of three or six years.

SEA received the award in recognition of its continued export success of its advanced fleet protection and anti-submarine warfare capabilities. Since 2022, the company  has secured multiple international contracts, including the supply of its Torpedo Launcher System for a multi-ship programme in South America, to the Philippine Navy and the Royal Canadian Navy. The company was also awarded contracts for its KraitSense anti-submarine warfare systems with a South-east Asian navy and to support the communications system upgrade on two Royal New Zealand Navy ANZAC frigates. Combined these contracts have a value in excess of £50 million.

The investment and recent contract wins have helped the company double its annual revenue (2024/2025) and secured more than 120 new job roles in North Devon. SEA now employs approximately 480 people across its South West sites in Beckington, Bristol and Barnstaple.

The company has also recently completed a privately funded upgrade of its Barnstaple facility. Modernising and expanding more than 2,000m² of production and office space, the upgrade also created new customer training facilities and expanded the site’s manufacturing capability to support its ongoing growth in maritime defence markets.

Hosted at the Grand Pier in Weston-Super-Mare, SEA’s One Team Day brought together 450 of SEA’s employees to celebrate the company’s latest achievements.

SEA’s sustained export success has also supported the growth of its international footprint, with the opening of a new manufacturing facility in Ottawa, Canada in 2025 and the appointment of a Sales Director Asia Pacific based in Malaysia.