Unmanned Surface Vehicles (USVs)
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A consortium led by ACUA Ocean has secured UK government backing and is progressing the design for a new class of medium-sized uncrewed support vessels.
The Project MROS consortium, which includes Houlder, Ad Hoc Marine Designs, Trident Marine, and the University of Southampton, received funding in May 2025 as part of the UK Department for Transport’sClean Maritime Demonstration (CMDC) program.
Designs for the 145ft (43m) Unmanned Surface Vehicle (USV) are currently advancing, with resistance and seakeeping tank testing underway at the Southampton University Marine & Maritime Institute and the Wolfson Unit.
The vessel is designed to be optionally crewed, capable of operating autonomously or remotely controlled. It is powered by a hybrid-electric propulsion system, and the prototype designs explore methanol fuel while considering efficiency, performance, maintainability, and emissions reductions compared to hydrogen, ammonia, and diesel variants.
Following the earlier success of ACUA’s 46ft (14m) Pioneer-class USV, the new MROS vessel will also feature a Small Waterplane Area Twin Hull (SWATH) optimized for platform stability and low motions in high sea states.
Neil Tinmouth, CEO of ACUA Ocean, stated, “The MROS project builds on ACUA Ocean’s proven ability to deploy proven and certified vessels. Most excitingly, this new design offers significant capability and cost-saving benefits over other USVs currently in development; delivering new solutions for a range of offshore commercial partners.”
The USV Pioneer is said to be the first and, so far, only USV to achieve UK Maritime Coastguard Agency Workboat Code 3 regulatory approval, providing valuable systems-design experience that is scalable to the larger MROS platform.
The MROS USV will be capable of operations in Sea State 6+, featuring DP1 station keeping, a range of 2,500 nautical miles, over 20 days of endurance, and a sprint speed exceeding 20 knots. It can be controlled in either autonomous or remote modes, or by an optionally embarked small crew housed in a modular accommodation pod.
Designed for persistence and robustness, the MROS USVs are intended to satisfy a variety of tasks, including offshore logistics, maritime surveillance, subsea inspection and intervention, and the commissioning and decommissioning of offshore infrastructure.
It offers an 80-tonne payload capacity for cargo or specialist sensors and features a moonpool configured with room for twin Launch and Recovery Systems (LARS) for various underwater payloads, such as tethered or untethered Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs) and XUUVs.
The cargo and payload bays are configured to accommodate ISO-standard transport container footprints (TEU and FEU), simplifying mechanical installation, interchangeability, and logistical management of vessel tasks and maintenance.
ACUA Ocean intends to announce strategic partnerships with world-leading systems developers in the coming months to develop a range of compatible and integrated mission payloads for both Pioneer and MROS USVs.
Rupert Hare, CEO of Houlder Ltd, commented, “We are happy to continue to work with ACUA on the exciting Project MROS following our work on Pioneer earlier in the year. This is about turning credible autonomy into offshore capability and beyond, and towards this Houlder will lead the development of a concept for launch and recovery (LARS) systems for a variety of underwater payloads, such as ROVs and XUUVs. We will also contribute to hull design and optimisation and the integration of the alternative fuel systems.”
Lee Sidaway, Director of Trident Marine Electrical, added, “We’re proud to continue our longstanding collaboration with ACUA Ocean, this time with the electrical design of their groundbreaking 43-meter partially crewed vessel, building on the success of our partnership on Pioneer. This next phase reflects our shared commitment to innovation, reliability, and pushing the boundaries of marine technology. Together, we’re shaping the future of autonomous and hybrid marine systems.”
