12-meter USV class secures MCA’s certification

June 16, 2026, by Nadja Skopljak

UK designer and manufacturer of uncrewed surface vessels (USVs) ZeroUSV has secured certification from the UK Maritime and Coastguard Agency for its Oceanus12 class of USVs that demonstrates that it meets the safety, operational and technical requirements established under the MCA Workboat Code Edition 3, including the framework developed specifically for remotely operated and unmanned vessels.

According to ZeroUSV, WB3 represents the UK’s most comprehensive regulatory regime for commercial workboats and has become an important benchmark for the safe integration of autonomous technologies into maritime operations.

The certification was led by maritime certification authority MECAL in conjunction with the team at ZeroUSV and the coding department at the MCA.

The 12-meter Oceanus12 class is designed, built and operated in the UK and has been developed for long-endurance offshore operations. The platform combines hybrid-electric propulsion, modular payload integration and advanced autonomous navigation capabilities, enabling multi-week missions in challenging maritime environments, the company explains.

The vessel’s typical operations include offshore survey and seabed mapping, maritime security and ISR, oceanographic and environmental monitoring, and subsea asset inspection and data acquisition.

“Achieving WB3 certification for the Oceanus12 class, gives us the green light to operate commercially and will open up significant opportunities not only in the UK water space but in the global maritime sector,” said Matthew Ratsey, Managing Director of ZeroUSV.

“The industry has reached a point where customers accept the USV technology as being ready and available but what they are looking for is how different payloads can be integrated into the USVs to provide commercial capability or tactical advantage in the battle space. As such proven, certifiable platforms are needed that can be deployed safely and reliably in real-world operations. This certification demonstrates that autonomous vessels can operate within an established regulatory framework while delivering the performance, endurance and operational flexibility our customers require.”