Polish startup AFLEET has launched a collaboration with MEWO S.A., the country’s largest private offshore operator, that specialises in marine geophysics, seabed surveys in the Baltic Sea, wind farm support, and hydro-engineering works. The project centres on the construction and deployment of a Polish-built unmanned surface vessel (USV).

In an interview with GospodarkaMorska, AFLEET CEO Maksymilian Ananiew outlined the vessel’s capabilities: “We anticipate operational endurance of up to five days at sea without returning to port. The unit is fully autonomous and can be controlled from shore or a mother ship, depending on mission requirements. It will be used for offshore tasks, primarily integrating and deploying a multibeam echosounder, but the hull has been designed for flexible integration of various sensors and other unmanned vehicles, including aerial and underwater drones.”

The USV will measure 5.5 metres in length and 1.8 metres in width.

The agreement and project align closely with the dynamic needs of the Baltic market, including offshore wind farm development, monitoring of critical infrastructure such as cables, pipelines and platforms, maritime safety, and environmental research. Unmanned maritime operations are a growing trend, driven both by technological advances and evolving international regulations.

“For us, this is a major opportunity to deploy technology in real-world conditions and to develop a collaboration we believe will establish a lasting presence in the Baltic and beyond,” Ananiew said. “Technology, political will, and regulatory changes all point in one direction: unmanned maritime operations. We are in the right place at the right time. The first USV will be tested on water in just a few months.”

The partnership is partly facilitated by the “Strefa Akceleracji” (Acceleration Zone) programme, organised by the Pomeranian Special Economic Zone (PSSE) and the Gdańsk Science and Technology Park (GPNT). The programme connects startups with major industry players; in this case, MEWO acts as the “Technology Recipient.” The initiative offers access to grants of up to PLN 400,000, testing in real-world conditions, and commercialisation opportunities.

AFLEET’s team has been developing the technology for some time and is now moving into the deployment and testing phase. The first USV is expected to be launched later this year.