K3 Scout receives Lloyd's Register type approval for uncrewed operations
Skerry's 12-metre autonomous surface vessel is cleared for uncrewed commercial operation in UK and Norwegian waters.
Skerry Marine Systems has received Lloyd's Register type approval for the K3 Scout, clearing the 12-metre autonomous surface vessel for uncrewed commercial operation in UK and Norwegian waters.
The approval covers the vessel and its Helm autonomy software as a single system, following an 18-month assessment that included independent review of the collision-avoidance model and 6,000 hours of supervised operation.
Constraints, not learned behaviour
Skerry's collision-avoidance model resolves COLREGs obligations as explicit constraints rather than learned behaviour, so every manoeuvre can be traced to the rule that produced it — the design decision the company credits for the approval.
“Every hour a survey crew spends at sea is an hour of risk and cost that the physics no longer requires. Type approval is what turns that argument into something a client's insurer will accept.”
Dr Elin Marchetti, Chief Executive Officer, Skerry Marine Systems
Fleet and operations
Fourteen K3 Scouts are in service, operating from Southampton and Aberdeen across the North Sea, Mediterranean and West Africa. The fleet has accumulated more than 40,000 operational hours.
About Skerry Marine Systems
Skerry Marine Systems designs and builds autonomous surface and subsea vessels for offshore energy, hydrographic survey and maritime security. Founded in Southampton in 2017 by a team from naval architecture and marine robotics, the company has delivered more than 40,000 hours of uncrewed operations across the North Sea, Mediterranean and West Africa. Its platforms include the K3 Scout autonomous surface vessel and the K4 Manta autonomous underwater vehicle, both operated through Helm, Skerry's autonomy and fleet operations software. The company employs 210 people across facilities in Southampton and Aberdeen, and holds Lloyd's Register type approval for uncrewed surface operations.