Blue Water Partners With Conrad for First Drone Ship Fleet
Massachusetts-based defense technology company Blue Water Autonomy has signed a production agreement with Conrad Shipyard in Louisiana to build its first fleet of unmanned surface vessels.
Under the agreement, the Morgan City-based shipyard will assemble Blue Water’s initial vessels across multiple facilities using automated methods, including panel line assembly and welding, to speed production and allow multiple ships to be built simultaneously.
Founded in 1947, Conrad has constructed a wide range of commercial and military ships, including tugs, ferries, barges, offshore support vessels, and gas tanker transports, and has a history of contracts with the US Navy and other defense clients.
The partnership follows Blue Water, established in 2024, raising $50 million from its first major funding round, bringing the total investment to $61 million.
The company said the funds will support the construction of its first long-range autonomous ships, expected to enter service in 2026.
“We’re designing for deployment, not just demonstration,” said Rylan Hamilton, CEO and co-founder of Blue Water Autonomy.
“Conrad is a world-class shipbuilder with proven capability, and this partnership puts us in a position to deliver ships quickly, while demonstrating the expertise and scale of existing US shipbuilding capacity.”
Boosting US Shipbuilding Capacity
Blue Water said the agreement is part of an effort to use underutilized shipyards in the country, particularly smaller yards with modular, scalable designs that let them build and adapt quickly to new projects.
The deal comes after the enterprise hired senior shipbuilding experts, including Tim Glinatsis, a 25-year veteran of military shipbuilding giants NASSCO and Bath Iron Works owned by General Dynamics, and Ryan Maatta, formerly of the DARPA NOMARS autonomous ship program, to strengthen the company’s capacity for scaling production.
Unlike traditional manned warships, which can take years to build in specialized yards, Blue Water’s autonomous vessels are designed for faster construction, updates, and maintenance.
In the future, the company plans to work with more local partners experienced in both commercial and military shipbuilding.
“We’ve designed our vessels to be modular, producible, and buildable across the country,” Hamilton said. “What we’re proving with Conrad is just the start. We want to show that the US has the infrastructure to support autonomy at scale, and the talent to build it.”
