Kraken Finalizes OceanVision Contract with Ocean Supercluster and Industry Partners


ST. JOHN’S, Newfoundland, Jan. 20, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Kraken Robotics Inc. (TSX-V: PNG) (OTCQB: KRKNF) (“Kraken” or the “Company”), is pleased to announce that its wholly owned subsidiary, Kraken Robotic Systems Inc., has finalized the contract for the OceanVision™ project with the Ocean Supercluster and industry partners (Petroleum Research Newfoundland and Labrador, Ocean Choice International and Nunavut Fisheries Association). OceanVision™ is a three-year, $18.8 million project focused on the development of new marine technologies and products to enable an underwater robotics data acquisition and data analytics as a service business. Under the OceanVision™ project, Canada's Ocean Supercluster will provide an investment up to $6.3 million, with the balance of project funding to be provided by other government agencies, industry partners, and Kraken.

Kraken has incurred significant effort to move this project forward since receiving conditional approval at the end of June 2019. These activities have included the hiring of 20 new employees in Canada, continued development of new product initiatives including Multi-Spectral Synthetic Aperture Sonar, SeaVision® laser scanners and ThunderFish® Autonomous Underwater Vehicle, and the pursuit of a new Robotics as a Service joint venture business. In October 2019, Kraken completed its first offshore survey campaign for the OceanVision™ project, deploying its sensors and unmanned underwater platforms to conduct ultra-high definition seabed imaging and mapping on the Grand Banks of Newfoundland and other areas of Atlantic Canada.

Over the next 30 months, this funding will allow Kraken and its partners to develop new technologies and provide high resolution seafloor imaging and mapping covering more than 5,000 square kilometers around Atlantic Canada. Kraken and its partners will leverage key enabling technologies (unmanned maritime vehicles, advanced sensors, robotics, autonomous systems, big data machine learning and predictive analytics) to deploy innovative technology platforms across ocean sectors and extend the global reach and market opportunities for Kraken and our partners.

CEO Comments
Karl Kenny, Kraken's President & CEO said, "We are excited to finalize the contracting stage for our OceanVision™ project. We have made significant investments since the initial announcement in June 2019 and look forward to development of new technologies that will be incorporated into our Robotics as a Service and Data as a Service business models.”

ABOUT KRAKEN ROBOTICS INC.

Kraken Robotics Inc. (TSX.V:PNG) (OTCQB: KRKNF) is a marine technology company dedicated to the production and sale of software-centric sensors and underwater robotic systems. The company is headquartered in St. John’s, Newfoundland with offices in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia; Toronto, Ontario; Bremen & Rostock, Germany; and Boston, Massachusetts. Kraken is ranked as a Top 100 marine technology company by Marine Technology Reporter. For more information, please visit www.krakenrobotics.com, www.krakenrobotik.de, www.krakenpower.de. Find us on social media on Twitter (@krakenrobotics), Facebook (@krakenroboticsinc) and LinkedIn.

Certain information in this news release constitutes forward-looking statements. When used in this news release, the words "may", "would", "could", "will", "intend", "plan", "anticipate", "believe", "seek", "propose", "estimate", "expect", and similar expressions, as they relate to the Company, are intended to identify forward-looking statements. In particular, this news release contains forward-looking statements with respect to, among other things, disclosure about the terms of the Transaction and about Kraken Power. The Company made certain material assumptions, including but not limited to, ability to obtain all requisite approvals to complete the Transaction, general business objectives, expected growth, results of operations, performance, business projects and opportunities and financial results. These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results or events, including the completion of the Transaction, to differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking statements. Such statements reflect the Company's current views with respect to future events based on certain material factors and assumptions and are subject to certain risks and uncertainties, including without limitation, changes in market, competition, governmental or regulatory developments, general economic conditions and other factors set out in the Company's public disclosure documents. Many factors could cause the Company's actual results, performance or achievements to vary from those described in this news release, including without limitation those listed above. These factors should not be construed as exhaustive. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should assumptions underlying forward-looking statements prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described in this news release and such forward-looking statements included in, or incorporated by reference in this news release, should not be unduly relied upon. Such statements speak only as of the date of this news release. The Company does not intend, and does not assume any obligation, to update these forward‐looking statements. The forward-looking statements contained in this news release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange Inc. nor its Regulation Services Provide (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release, and the TSX Venture Exchange has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this press release.

For further information, please contact:

Joe MacKay, Chief Financial Officer
(416) 303-0605
jmackay@krakenrobotics.com

Greg Reid, Chief Operating Officer
(416) 818-9822
greid@krakenrobotics.com

Sean Peasgood, Investor Relations
(647) 955-1274
sean@sophiccapital.com

Shauna Cotie, Marketing Manager
(709) 757-5757 x 241
scotie@krakenrobotics.com