Blue Water Autonomy unveils the 190-foot Liberty-class crewless ship, to be built at Conrad Shipyard

Blue Water Autonomy/Liberty-class autonomous ship

The Liberty class is a 190-foot steel ship with over 10,000 nm of range and more than 150 tonnes of payload, built on Damen's Stan Patrol 6009 hull. Construction was set to start at Conrad Shipyard in Louisiana in March 2026, with the first ship due for the Navy later that year and 10–20 a year after.

• Engine room, electrics and propulsion were redesigned for fault tolerance without crew.
• Developed entirely with private money and 100+ suppliers.
• Conrad has five yards, about 1,100 workers and builds 30+ ships a year.