ZeroUSV cuts first aluminium on first-of-class Oceanus17 USV

UK-based unmanned surface vessels specialist ZeroUSV announced on 8 December 2025 that it has started construction at its Manor Marine, Portland, site of the Oceanus17: a new class of large, ultra-long-distance, high-payload USV.

The Oceanus17 is described by ZeroUSV as a ‘bigger sister’ to the company’s Oceanus12 USV. With a length of 17 m as opposed to 12 m, the Oceanus17 has a full-load displacement of 17.7 tonnes and is propelled by two 40 kW electric stern drive units that give it a cruise speed of 7 kts (13 km/h) and a sprint speed of 12 kts. The vessel has an aft deck payload capacity of 4 tonnes.

The USV’s primary sensors are an X-band radar with an Echomax Active-XS radar target enhancer, daylight HD cameras, a W-band HD radar and a FLIR stabilised thermal camera, while its communication links include Starlink Marine High Performance and Thales Vesselink Iridium satcom links plus 4G and 5G Wifi remote connectivity.

Built with a durable aluminium hull, the Oceanus17 will be certified for unlimited operations and has been designed to operate in harsh Atlantic conditions, with a mission endurance in excess of 50 days at sea. The vessel is designed to be able to conduct survey work in Sea State 4, to transit in Sea State 6 and to still survive in Sea State 8.

Just as with the Oceanus12, the Oceanus17 will feature dual redundancy in all critical systems, such as its AIS transponders, to remove single-point failures, ensuring continuous operation even in demanding environments.

Fitted as standard with the GuardianAI navigation system designed by Plymouth-based MarineAI, the Oceanus17 will delivers Level 4 autonomous navigation, navigating safely as a single unit or as part of a co-ordinated fleet.

With the first-of-class Oceanus17 now in build, trials, ZeroUSV will take the vessel through successive build, trials and certification milestones throughout 2026.

In announcing the first cutting of aluminium for the Oceanus17, ZeroUSV emphasised how the project demonstrates the company’s ability to innovate and scale at pace as a sovereign UK USV builder.

“Compressing traditional defence acquisition timelines, where typical ‘flash to bang’ from design to prototype can often take years, Oceanus17 breaks that cycle by utilising a spiral development process to accelerate the design, engineering and subsequent build phase to months, rather than years, enabling faster iteration, quicker learning from trials, and delivery at scale and pace.

“Oceanus17 also underscores the ability of the UK supply chain to deliver high tech autonomous vessels without reliance on overseas production,” the company added. “The platform is being built entirely in the UK, ensuring intellectual property, skills and manufacturing value remain onshore, while keeping sensitive autonomy, data handling and control systems under UK authority. This approach aligns with the [UK] Defence Industrial Strategy, strengthening industrial resilience, supporting regional shipbuilding hubs and delivering cutting edge dual-use technology.”

Matthew Ratsey, co-founder and managing director of Zero USV, was quoted in a company press release as saying, “Whilst 2025 has been a highly successful year for ZeroUSV with our Oceanus12 fleet, we are conscious of the need to keep iterating and in the background we have been working hard on the design, development and now the start of the build of Oceanus17.

“Oceanus17 already represents over 1500 hours of design and engineering and is another major milestone for our team and an exciting step forward for UK maritime autonomy. We designed this platform to meet the increased payload demands and long deployment requirements for challenging deep-water operations,” Ratsey added. “Bringing Oceanus17 to market so quickly after Oceanus12 shows what agile British shipbuilding can do; a secure, sovereign capability built in the South West and ready to adapt payload capability to meet the true dual-use versatility that this platform has been designed to be.”