Damen and Blue Water Autonomy Inc. announce licence agreement for Liberty Class 60m Autonomous Ship for the US Navy

Damen Shipyards Group, Netherlands-headquartered shipbuilding company, has announced a licence agreement with Blue Water Autonomy Inc., a Boston-based technology and shipbuilding company. Under the agreement, Blue Water Autonomy Inc. will construct its first vessel, the Liberty Class. Designed by the two companies in partnership, Liberty is a 60-metre steel autonomous ship with a range of over 10,000 nautical miles and over 150 tonnes of payload capacity. Construction is scheduled to begin at Conrad Shipyard in March 2026. The first vessel is expected to be completed for the U.S. Navy later this year.

The Liberty class will be built on Damen’s Stan Patrol 6009 hull design. Blue Water selected the design due to its Axe Bow, a distinctive, vertical bow that slices cleanly through the waves, minimising slamming and allowing more gradual wave re-entry. With over 300 Axe Bow vessels operating globally, the hull shape offers proven performance. The proven design reduces technical risk, allowing Blue Water Autonomy Inc. to focus engineering on re-architecting the vessel’s internal systems for autonomous operation.

The Axe Bow design offers unprecedented seakeeping characteristics. This hull shape has been patented by Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands.

🎤 “The Liberty class reflects our focus on building autonomous ships that are designed from the start for long-duration operations and repeat production,” said Rylan Hamilton, CEO of Blue Water Autonomy Inc. “By adapting a proven hull and re-engineering it for unmanned operations, we’re delivering a vessel that can operate for extended periods without crew while being produced at a pace the Navy urgently needs. This is a modern take on an old idea: building capable ships quickly and at scale.”

To achieve autonomy, Blue Water redesigned the vessel from the inside out, beginning with the engine room and extending to the ship’s mechanical and electrical systems through autonomous configuration of fault-tolerant propulsion systems.

🎤 “The Axe Bow hull was designed for demanding operational requirements, from speed and range to seakeeping,” said Mark Honders, Design and Licence Manager at Damen. “Seeing the Stan Patrol 6009 adapted for autonomous operation underscores the flexibility of the design and demonstrates how proven commercial designs can serve new and emerging maritime missions.”

“Conrad has a long history of building complex vessels for both commercial and government customers,” said Cecil Hernandez, President and CEO of Conrad Shipyard. “We have the infrastructure, workforce, and production readiness to begin construction and support serial builds, helping translate advanced vessel designs into operational capacity.”

📃📷 Source: Damen