Three Greek companies are joining forces to develop an autonomous, unmanned surface vessel, bringing together shipbuilding, artificial intelligence and advanced marine manufacturing in a project aimed at both defense and commercial markets.
Skaramangas Shipyards, Qualco Group and Olympic Marine have signed a memorandum of cooperation to jointly design, develop, produce and demonstrate a multi-role autonomous vessel that the companies hope will be designed and built entirely in Greece.
The partnership combines Skaramangas‘ experience in naval construction and complex maritime systems with Qualco’s software and artificial intelligence capabilities and Olympic Marine’s expertise in producing advanced composite hulls.
The project comes as unmanned surface vessels are becoming increasingly important for maritime security, the protection of critical infrastructure and energy networks, as well as a growing range of commercial applications.
Greek companies developing dual-use technologies
“The artificial intelligence and digital technologies are key accelerators of modern defense and industrial innovation,” said Qualco Group Executive Chairman Orestis Tsakalotos. He said the partnership aimed to develop dual-use technologies that could strengthen Greece’s technological base while supporting both security and broader commercial applications.
Skaramangas Shipyards CEO Miltiadis Varvitsiotis said the collaboration brings together the shipyard’s long maritime experience with new technology to “design the future of autonomous naval systems by Greek hands.”
Olympic Marine President Nikolas Dendrinis said the company’s expertise in advanced composite materials and modern manufacturing facilities would contribute to an effort with what he described as significant strategic potential for Greek industry.
The companies said they intend to pool their technical expertise, personnel and infrastructure to create a competitive product that could meet international certification requirements and eventually target export markets.
No technical specifications, production timetable or prototype launch date have yet been announced.
The initiative nevertheless represents an effort to move beyond Greece’s traditional strengths in shipping and shipbuilding by combining them with software and AI technologies, as autonomous maritime systems become an increasingly important part of the global defense, security and blue economy sectors.
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