ZeroUSV unveils first of its new Oceanus17 USV

ZeroUSV has unveiled the first of its new Oceanus17 class of USV, named The Lady of the Lake and representing the next generation of UK maritime innovation. Her name is intended to reflect her advanced capabilities for resilient, enduring and multi-tasking operations across extended maritime missions.

Officially named at a ceremony held during Plymouth’s British National Firework Championships by Rebecca Smith MP, the naming draws on the Arthurian tradition, following the maritime autonomy heritage established by MSubs’ recent delivery of HMS Excalibur to the Royal Navy.

Delivering British technological innovation at pace

Matthew Ratsey, Managing Director of ZeroUSV, said: “Today is a celebration of ZeroUSV, demonstrating to the wider world what delivering cutting-edge British technology and innovation at pace really means. Just over one year ago we launched the first of our Oceanus12 USVs and today, with the first Oceanus17 USV officially named, we’ve demonstrated our ability to design, build and deliver successive generations of world-class autonomous vessels in just over six months.

“The Oceanus17 class represent a significant step up in British autonomous USV capability, with very large payload capacity of 4,000kg, mission endurance in excess of 50 days, a top speed approaching 15 knots, whilst still retaining the Oceanus class DNA allowing fast mobilisation to any corner of the globe quickly and easily. “

“Delivering the Oceanus17 proves ZeroUSV’s commitment to British maritime innovation, further enhancing the UK’s sovereign capability to produce advanced USVs and continues to strengthen Plymouth’s position and reputation as both a National and International centre for maritime autonomy.”

Built at Manor Marine’s shipyard in Portland, Oceanus17 represents the next evolution in ZeroUSV’s proven Oceanus class family.

The vessel builds on the engineering success of the Oceanus12, providing extended endurance of over 50 days per mission and a 20-foot ISO-compatible payload bay with 30 kW of dedicated payload power.

Why Plymouth is set to take a lead in autonomous maritime capabilities

Rebecca Smith MP said: “The Oceanus 17, The Lady of the Lake, is a remarkable achievement by British innovators. Her ability to operate independently, endure extended missions and perform multiple roles across the maritime domains embodies the qualities we need in our defence and commercial maritime capabilities.

“ZeroUSV’s progress in delivering world-class autonomous vessels demonstrates the potential of the UK’s marine autonomy sector in Plymouth and why we must continue to champion, cut unnecessary red tape and invest in this critical technology.”

Above: Rebecca Smith MP and Matthew Ratsey with the Oceanus17. Photo: ZeroUSV

The fully autonomous vessel incorporates level-four autonomous navigation, delivered by MarineAI’s GuardianAI autonomy stack, while dual-redundant engineering systems eliminate single points of failure. This provides the Oceanus17 with the resilience necessary for persistent, over-the-horizon operations in the most challenging of maritime environments.

This first-of-class Oceanus17 will shortly be mobilised for deployment to Portugal, representing Britain and the Royal Navy for NATO Exercise REPMUS for the entire month of September.