Chelsea Technologies has provided sensors to BP to enable it to monitor the amount of oil in the water at the site of the Gulf of Mexico spill.
The instruments, known as hydrocarbon fluorimeters, work by shining light at a material and taking a reading by the amount that bounces back.
They are likely to be used for some time as monitoring for oil companies becomes a legal requirement and staff from the firm are set to fly out to Texas in the next four to six weeks to help.
Similar sensors have been fitted to each Royal Navy submarine as an 'anti-warfare' measure.
The other major project being carried out is aimed at guarding the water supply from attack.
The technology can be put in the water source and used to detect if there are any foreign agents in the water.
