Autonomous vessels – Professional Mariner

25 Sep

Coast Guard to invest $350M in robotics, autonomous systems

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime NewsAutonomous vessels, technology, U.S. Coast Guard

(WASHINGTON) — The U.S. Coast Guard announced Wednesday it will invest nearly $350 million to expand robotics and autonomous systems, strengthening mission execution and operational capabilities. The funding, provided under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), includes $11 million in fiscal year 2025 for immediate upgrades to critical autonomous systems. Initial investments include: • $4.8 million to procure 16…

13 Aug

DARPA christens first Navy ship designed to sail without crew

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime NewsAutonomous vessels, shipbuilding

(ARLINGTON, Va.) — DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) has marked a traditional naval milestone with the christening of USX-1 Defiant, a first-of-its-kind autonomous, unmanned surface vessel designed from the ground up to never accommodate a human aboard. The ceremony took place Monday at Everett Ship Repair in Everett, Wash. The demonstrator for the No Manning Required Ship (NOMARS) program,…

15 Jul

Vigor, Saronic partner to advance autonomous vessels

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime NewsAutonomous vessels, shipbuilding

(VANCOUVER, Wash.) — Saronic Technologies and Vigor Marine Group have announced a strategic partnership focused on rapidly advancing the delivery of autonomous maritime capabilities and strengthening operational support for defense and commercial customers. This partnership brings together two maritime innovators with complementary capabilities, whose combined expertise can help support U.S. government and commercial customers in a rapidly changing environment. Vigor…

17 Apr

Saronic acquires Gulf Craft to build autonomous vessels

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime NewsAutonomous vessels, shipbuilding

(AUSTIN, Texas) — Saronic on Wednesday announced the acquisition of Gulf Craft, a Louisiana-based shipbuilder, to accelerate its growth into autonomous shipbuilding. Through this acquisition, Saronic gains a strategically located shipyard on the Gulf Coast that will serve as the prototyping and production hub for its medium unmanned surface vessel (MUSV) fleet – starting with Marauder, Saronic’s 150-foot autonomous surface…

07 Apr

Bollinger delivers first three anti-mine USVs to Navy

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime NewsAutonomous vessels, shipbuilding

(LOCKPORT, La.) — Bollinger Shipyards on Friday announced the delivery to the U.S. Navy of the first three mine countermeasures unmanned surface vehicles (MCM USVs) built at Bollinger. These vessels are the Navy’s first program of record, non-prototype autonomous surface ships – a milestone in the transition to autonomous maritime operations. “Bollinger is proud to deliver the first three full-rate…

02 Apr

Metal Shark to unveil new USV at Sea-Air-Space symposium

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime NewsAutonomous vessels, shipbuilding

(JEANERETTE, La.) — Louisiana-based boat builder Metal Shark is set to debut its latest unmanned surface vessel (USV) at the upcoming Sea-Air-Space military symposium in National Harbor, Md., with three days of on-water demonstrations April 7-9. Metal Shark’s new High Speed Maneuverable Unmanned Surface Vessel (HSMUSV) is a 21-foot military craft specifically configured for unmanned, human-in-the-loop operation. The HSMUSV has…

04 Dec

HD Hyundai wins approval for autonomous boxship

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime NewsAutonomous vessels, shipping

(STERLING, Va.) — HD Hyundai has taken a significant step toward the commercialization of Degree 3 autonomous navigation by successfully demonstrating integrated autonomous navigation and remote control on a large commercial vessel. Recently, HD Hyundai applied its cutting-edge autonomous navigation and remote-control technologies to an 8,000-TEU containership, conducting a series of integrated demonstrations. Following these achievements, the company secured approval…

12 Nov

Sea Machines Robotics names new chief executive officer

Professional Mariner StaffIndustry NewsAutonomous vessels

(BOSTON) — Sea Machines Robotics, a world leader in marine autonomous technology, on Tuesday announced new company leadership. Founder Michael Gordon Johnson will now serve as president and chief technology officer, while David “Chip” Wasson has joined as chief executive officer. Sea Machines has achieved significant success in 2024, posting record sales for the year. This growth is attributed to…

16 Apr

Sea Machines launches new autonomous workboat

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime NewsAutonomous vessels, shipbuilding

(BOSTON) — Sea Machines Robotics has announced the launch of SELKIE, its latest innovation in unmanned surface vessels (USVs). The first model, SELKIE 7, is a 7-meter (23-foot) USV powered by the company's flagship SM300 autonomous command and control system. As the first turnkey autonomous vessel released by Sea Machines, SELKIE is designed for industries ranging from hydrographic surveying and…

04 Apr

Metal Shark launches new unmanned surface vehicles

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime NewsAutonomous vessels, shipbuilding

(JEANERETTE, La.) — Louisiana-based boatbuilder Metal Shark has announced the debut of Prowler, a versatile military craft combining multiple unique technologies to meet the current and near future warfighting requirements of the U.S. military and its allies. The company is also debuting Frenzy, a high-performance, low-cost, amphibious micro unmanned surface vehicle (USV) with a payload-carrying capacity of up to 14…