Autonomous vessels – Professional Mariner

07 Jul

HII adds Halimar Shipyard to USV production program

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime NewsAutonomous vessels, shipbuilding

(McLEAN Va.) — Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII), America’s largest military shipbuilder and a global leader in autonomous maritime systems, announced Monday that Halimar Shipyard of Morgan City, La., has joined the company’s growing network of strategic industrial partners supporting serial production of HII’s ROMULUS unmanned surface vessel (USV) family. With extensive experience in commercial and government vessel construction, Halimar brings…

02 Jul

Safety alert: Lack of notice for unmanned vessel operations

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime NewsAutonomous vessels, Safety alert, U.S. Coast Guard

(WASHINGTON) — The U.S. Coast Guard recently identified multiple unmanned maritime system (UMS) operations occurring within and near major West Coast port approaches without prior coordination with cognizant captains of the port (COTP). The lack of advance notification reduces maritime domain awareness and limits the Coast Guard’s ability to effectively assess operational risk, support safe vessel movement, and protect the…

11 Feb

Damen, Boston firm teaming on autonomous ships for U.S. Navy

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime NewsAutonomous vessels, shipbuilding

(GDANSK, Poland) — Damen Shipyards Group has announced a license agreement with Blue Water Autonomy, a Boston-based technology and shipbuilding company. Under the agreement, Blue Water Autonomy will construct its first vessel in the Liberty class. Designed by the two companies in partnership, Liberty is a 197-foot steel autonomous ship with a range of over 10,000 nautical miles and over…

09 Feb

Autonomous vessel was in test mode when it struck rowing scull

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty NewsAutonomous vessels, U.S. Coast Guard

(WASHINGTON) — On Aug. 7, 2024, a 16-foot autonomous vessel collided with a 27-foot recreational rowing vessel from a local rowing club on the Patapsco River in Baltimore, Md. At the time of the incident, the autonomous vessel was undergoing testing which required its anti-collision system to be disabled and was being observed by a reduced crew aboard a separately…

09 Jan

Saronic, Hornbeck partnering on autonomous OSVs

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime NewsAI, Autonomous vessels, shipbuilding, technology

(AUSTIN, Texas) — Saronic has announced a strategic partnership with Hornbeck Offshore Services, a leading provider of technologically advanced, high-specification offshore service vessels (OSVs) serving the energy and defense industries, to accelerate innovation and deployment of autonomous platforms, advanced software, and maritime solutions to those markets. As part of the agreement, Saronic and Hornbeck intend to pursue commercial solutions to…

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…