World’s First Fully Autonomous USV Fleet Hits The Water

British SME ZeroUSV is one step closer to offering the world’s first charter fleet of fully autonomous uncrewed surface vessels after its inaugural Oceanus12 touched the water for the first time at Manor Marine in Portland, Dorset, this week.

The fully equipped vessel is now ready for commissioning and integration trials from ZeroUSV’s home port of Plymouth. The launching of the first Oceanus12 represents the culmination of nearly 18 months of design, engineering and build effort from the team at ZeroUSV which has been built on the success of the Mayflower 400’s transatlantic autonomous voyage – a milestone achieved through the same inter-company collaborations between Zero USV’s parent company MSubs, their non-profit Promare, and sister marine software company MarineAI.

The launch of the first vessel in the Oceanus12 series, does not though mean any let up in the pace and the coming weeks will see a series of key milestones achieved, with vessel two due to be completed in late March and vessels three and four hot on their heels. An official boat naming ceremony is scheduled for the spring, with a line-up of VIPs on the guest list.

The Oceanus12, designed for long distance over-the-horizon operations, has also been designed to be mission agnostic, allowing a wide range of potential applications: from surveys and monitoring of critical assets to safety, geophysical surveys, border control, fisheries, defence and more. Since the “charter” business model was first announced just under 12 months ago, significant interest has been generated which has led to exciting opportunities for these first two vessels, information on which will be announced in the coming weeks.

The Oceanus12 is groundbreaking in multiple areas of technology: from its hybrid-electric drive system, with twin drives for redundancy and efficiency coupled with sufficient onboard fuel for a cruising range of more than 2500 nautical miles, to the use of the only truly fully autonomous software stack on the market – MarineAI’s Guardian software.

The Oceanus12’s represents a seismic shift in what is possible with an uncrewed 12m vessel. With ZeroUSV not only owning and operating the vessels, but also the ROC (remote observation centre), the Oceanus12 is a true “turnkey” package for charter customers.

Zero USV founder Matthew Ratsey, said: “Oceanus12 presents a quantum leap forward in autonomous maritime technology and this is a seminal moment for the team here at ZeroUSV.

“We’ve created the world’s first complete solution – not just a cutting-edge 12m over-the-horizon USV available for charter, but also full maintenance and support to ensure 24/7 operations with minimal downtime.

“Designed with safety and efficiency in mind, Oceanus12 can take on a wide range of offshore over-the-horizon tasks that would typically require a crew, eliminating on-water risks and associated costs, including significant environmental benefits afforded by it being crewless For clients, this means greater flexibility, enhanced operational efficiency, and zero crew expenses.”

Utilising a suite of world-class marine sensors, including the internationally renowned mm-wave Navtech Radar, Oceanus12 integrates multiple data streams into MarineAI’s GuardianAI autonomy software. This enables real-time processing and analysis, ensuring COLREG-compliant vessel control and navigation.

Oceanus12 Specifications

Green Credentials

Twin Electric Hybrid Drive giving redundancy and efficiency
Low Fuel Consumption
Solar charging for house and emergency loads

Customisable Design

Adaptable payload bay
Sensor agnostic
Quick change keel (sensor strut) allowing preloaded sensors to be swapped in/out with minimal downtime

Full Autonomy

GuardianAI full stack autonomy software by MarineAI installed as standard
Fully loaded autonomous sensor suite including HD Radar from Navtech.
Remote control option

Over-the-Horizon

Large fuel capacity for extended missions c. 2500Nm
Six knot cruising speed with sprint speed of 10 knots (subject to payload)

Technical specification

Length Overall: 11.55m
Waterline Length: 11.40m
Max Beam: 2.33m
Displacement: 6 tonnes
Hull Type: Monohull
Hull Construction: Aluminium
Installed Power: software limited to 40Kw, available 80Kw.
Speed: 6 knots cruising, 10 knots sprint.
Endurance: 2000+Nautical miles
Fuel Capacity: 1200 Litres
Payload: up to 1 tonne
Draft: 1.76m

The Oceanus12 fleet – comprising initially over 12 vessels, including the option for an XLR (Extra Long Range) version stretching to 13 meters in length and carrying over 4000 litres of fuel and ensuring Oceanus12 is capable of spending not just weeks, but months continuously operating on higher endurance journeys – will be available in the UK, North America, Canada and Australia as Zero USV rolls out its USVs with global partners.

Press Release

Source: Maritime Shipping News