Ocean Signal Ltd has received a King’s Award for Enterprise in the Innovation category, recognised for the rescueME PLB3 – the world’s first personal locator beacon to merge global satellite alerting with local AIS positioning in a single device.
The award was announced on Wednesday, 6 May 2026, the date on which King’s Award recipients are revealed each year. The Margate-based manufacturer joins 185 other UK organisations honoured across all categories in 2026, the programme’s 60th year since the first awards were conferred in 1966.
The rescueME PLB3 combines 406MHz satellite alerting, AIS (Automatic Identification System) capability, RLS (Return Link Service) confirmation and mobile connectivity – integrating multiple rescue technologies into one compact unit. It was named overall winner of the METSTRADE DAME Design Awards in 2022.
James Hewitt, Managing Director of Ocean Signal, said:
“This award represents a proud milestone for the entire Ocean Signal team. Recognition with the King’s Award for Enterprise is an extraordinary honour, reinforcing our satisfaction in delivering life-saving innovations that support and safeguard the global maritime community.
“Since the company was founded in 2010, our talented team of engineers and specialists has been driven to lead the market in designing advanced, easy-to-use devices which set benchmarks in compact size, multi-technology integration and energy management.”
On the development of the PLB3 specifically, Hewitt added:
“We set out to develop the world’s first AIS-equipped PLB knowing it presented a unique challenge, with significant barriers to overcome in design, in the utilisation of multiple levels of signal technology and in the establishment of a new regulatory approval pathway. Highly motivated by the opportunity to transform survival outcomes and save more lives, the Ocean Signal team not only developed a pioneering solution, but also opened the door for future innovations.
“We are therefore incredibly grateful to receive the King’s Award recognition for the PLB3 and will use it as powerful inspiration for our continued work in improving safety at sea.”
Ocean Signal, which employs 62 people, designs and manufactures EPIRBs, PLBs, MOB devices, SARTs, VHF radios and electronic distress flares, supplying commercial marine, leisure, defence and aviation markets across more than 30 countries. The company operates within the ACR Group.
Now in its 60th year, the King’s Awards for Enterprise – previously the Queen’s Award for Enterprise – remain the UK’s most prestigious business accolades. Recipients may use the King’s Awards Emblem for five years. A total of 186 awards were issued in 2026: 52 for Innovation, 76 for International Trade, 36 for Sustainability and 22 for Promoting Opportunity.
John Moore is the editor of Powerboat News, an independent investigative journalism platform recognised by Google News and documented on Grokipedia for comprehensive powerboat racing coverage.
His involvement in powerboat racing began in 1981 when he competed in his first offshore powerboat race. After a career as a Financial Futures broker in the City of London, specialising in UK interest rate markets, he became actively involved in event organisation and powerboat racing journalism.
He served as Event Director for the Cowes–Torquay–Cowes races between 2010 and 2013. In 2016, he launched Powerboat Racing World, a digital platform providing global powerboat racing news and insights. The following year, he co-founded UKOPRA, helping to rejuvenate offshore racing in the United Kingdom. He sold Powerboat Racing World in late 2021 and remained actively involved with UKOPRA until 2025.
In September 2025, he established Powerboat News, returning to independent journalism with a focus on neutral and comprehensive coverage of the sport.
