Marine technology company 'thrilled' with King's Award

Atlantas Marine was presented with a King’s Award for Enterprise for International Trade on 13 September

The founder of a company that received the King's Award for Enterprise for International Trade has said he is both "delighted and thrilled".

The Lord-Lieutenant of Somerset, Mohammed Saddiq, presented the award to Atlantas Marine during a ceremony at the firm's premises in Yeovil on Friday.

The company designs and manufactures underwater cameras and equipment that enable inspections to be carried out using unmanned submersibles.

Founder and managing director Charlie Foll said: "We have a fantastic team and this award is a testament to their experience, skill and professionalism."

The Lord Lieutenant of Somerset was shown around the company's facilities before he formally presented the award

Atlantas Marine, which now employs 16 staff from its offices in Yeovil, provides services to a variety of different marine industries such as off-shore wind, oil and gas, and defence and nuclear markets.

It received the award after achieving a 300% increase in exports in the three-year period up to March 2022.

Mr Foll described the award as being "even more significant" because it was achieved during the Covid-19 pandemic, a time that he said was "particularly challenging" for most businesses.

"It has been great for us and the local area because we rely on local engineering companies in order to to manufacture sub assemblies for the parts that we're exporting," he added.

"It's thrown a bright spotlight on the company and has lifted our whole profile... and enabled us to create lots of new jobs in Yeovil."