Ship&Offshore | Issue 06/2025
Gondan hands over autonomous USV
IMR works | Spain’s Gondan Shipbuilders has delivered the first unmanned vessel to be built at its facilities. The USV Challenger has been developed in a joint venture project with Solstad Offshore, Østensjø Rederi and DeepOcean. It represents a key development in the future of shipbuilding, according to the partners. The vessel, 24m long and 7.5m wide, has been designed by Salt Ship Design to carry out underwater inspection, maintenance and repair (IMR) and survey work with no crew. It has a hybrid diesel-electric propulsion system, an endurance at sea of 30 days, and an emissions profile that is over 90% less than conventional vessels of this type....