DNV greenlights TKMS autonomous unmanned watercraft

May 8, 2026, by Fatima Bahtić

Classification society DNV has granted approval in principle (AIP) for an autonomous unmanned watercraft developed by German shipbuilder TKMS.

As informed, the AiP confirms that the autonomous unmanned watercraft, the MUM demonstrator, was designed and developed in accordance with the DNV class rule “Underwater technology” and the DNV Class Guideline “Autonomous and remotely operated vessels.”

TKMS is thus the first German company to have the design and development of an autonomous unmanned watercraft based on the class rules confirmed by an AiP.

The scalable demonstrator, measuring 25 meters in length and 7 meters in width, is scheduled to set sail for the first time in 2026 and will be tested in specially developed scenarios.

“Among experts, compliance with class rules is considered one of the most challenging hurdles in the development of autonomous maritime systems. The AiP thus marks an important milestone that confirms the expertise of our teams across engineering, production, and project management, and lays the foundation for an entire generation of autonomous unmanned watercrafts from TKMS,” said Christian Rogge, Head of the Submarines Operating Unit at TKMS.

TKMS is responsible for coordinating the MUM2 project consortium, which also includes EvoLogics GmbH, the University of Rostock, the Technical University of Berlin, the German Aerospace Center (DLR), and the Fraunhofer Institute for Communication, Information Processing and Ergonomics (FKIE).

The project is funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWE).

With a demonstration test scheduled for late 2026, the project is moving into the next development phase.

TKMS plans to apply the results and experience gained from the program to future customer projects and further support the development of next-generation autonomous unmanned watercraft for potential series production.