Blue Water Autonomy enters production agreement with Conrad Shipyard
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Marking a major step forward in its plan to deploy autonomous surface vessels at fleet scale, Boston-based Blue Water Autonomy reports that it has entered into a production agreement with Conrad Shipyard. The news comes just weeks after Blue Water, a startup founded in 2024, announced that it had raised $50 million in Series A funding,<\/a> saying that it would use the funding to build and deploy its first long-range, full-sized autonomous ship next year.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re designing for deployment, not just demonstration,\u201d said Rylan Hamilton, co-founder and CEO of Blue Water Autonomy. \u201cConrad is a world-class shipbuilder with proven capability, and this partnership puts us in a position to deliver ships quickly, while demonstrating the expertise and scale of existing U.S. shipbuilding capacity.\u201d<\/p>\n Under the agreement, Conrad will assemble Blue Water\u2019s first class of autonomous ships. Conrad plans to use multiple facilities to take advantage of its advanced shipbuilding approach, including highly automated panel line and welding techniques, allowing for parallel builds and scalable throughput.<\/p>\n \u201cBlue Water Autonomy\u2019s design reflects the kind of forward-looking innovation that U.S. shipbuilders are ready to deliver,\u201d said Cecil Hernandez, president and CEO of Conrad Shipyard. \u201cWe\u2019re proud to support this program and help bring autonomous naval capabilities to life with the speed, precision, and craftsmanship we\u2019ve been trusted to deliver for over 75 years across commercial and military shipbuilding.\u201d<\/p>\n Blue Water\u2019s partnership with Conrad comes on the heels of consecutive senior shipbuilding hires to build internal capability. Earlier this year, the company hired Tim Glinatsis, a 25-year veteran of General Dynamics NASSCO and Bath Iron Works, followed by multiple hires from the DARPA NOMARS autonomous ship program, including marine engineering lead Ryan Maatta.<\/p>\n This milestone also reflects the company\u2019s broader strategy to activate underutilized U.S. shipyard capacity, particularly small and mid-tier yards that can adapt quickly to new platforms.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve designed our vessels to be modular, producible, and buildable across the country,\u201d said Hamilton. \u201cWhat we\u2019re proving with Conrad is just the start. We want to show that the U.S. has the infrastructure to support autonomy at scale, and the talent to build it.\u201d<\/p>\n Blue Water says that it is focused on working with U.S. shipyards that are fully operational today, shipyards like Conrad, that are proven in both commercial and military shipbuilding and can deliver with speed, scale, and precision. Unlike manned warships, which often require years-long timelines and specialized build environments, Blue Water\u2019s platform is intended to be produced, updated, and maintained with speed and flexibility in mind.<\/p>\n The post Blue Water Autonomy enters production agreement with Conrad Shipyard<\/a> appeared first on Marine Log<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n