Polish startup Afleet begins official sea trials of A550 autonomous surface vessel in Świnoujście

Gdynia-based startup Afleet has announced that official sea trials of its A550 autonomous surface vessel began this week in Świnoujście on Poland's western Baltic coast. Built at the Open Sea yard, the 5.5-metre platform is intended for hydrographic surveys, monitoring of maritime infrastructure and offshore operations, with bathymetric surveys planned as its first commercial job.

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31 august 2026   |   10:51   |   Source: Gazeta Morska   |   Prepared by: Kamil Kusier   |   Print

fot. Afleet

A vessel built for offshore survey work

The hulls of Afleet's craft are built at the Open Sea yard in Świnoujście, while the concept of the platform for offshore tasks was developed together with the Polish survey company MEWO. Communications infrastructure, including Starlink and LTE connectivity, is supplied by Vision Cube. The A550 uses a hybrid propulsion system in which two electric motors are powered by batteries recharged by an onboard combustion generator, and the target is five days of autonomous work at sea. The hull has been sized to fit inside a 20-foot container, allowing the platform to be shipped practically anywhere in the world.

As Afleet co-owner Maksymilian Ananiew stressed in a recent interview with the Polish technology outlet PortalTechnologiczny.pl, the craft is meant to be a working tool rather than a prototype. Its first job will be bathymetric surveys with a multibeam echosounder, producing precise depth maps of large areas.

From launch to trials with partners

The A550 has been on the water since around the turn of July and August, when initial tests began in Świnoujście. The company obtained a permit from the Maritime Office in Szczecin and announced larger trials for the end of August, involving partners as well as prospective military and civilian organisations - the phase that has now started as the official sea trials. Afleet intends to carry out its first commercial surveys with the unit before the end of the year, and the authorisation allowing the autonomous platform to operate in Polish territorial waters is being finalised.

A multi-domain system with dual-use ambitions

The Gdynia startup is not building a single drone but an autonomy system able to link uncrewed surface, underwater and aerial vehicles - Afleet develops the software while individual elements are built by partners. The impulse for the project was Poland's offshore wind build-out and the growing demand for local data, and the goal is to cut operating costs and human risk in servicing wind farms and other maritime infrastructure, such as gas terminals.

A second unit is already under construction at Open Sea: a military platform of more than six metres, capable of around 50 knots and intended for reconnaissance tasks, with Ukraine's Magura-class craft cited as a benchmark in the interview. Afleet does not plan to build underwater drones itself, preferring to integrate the best solutions available on the market into its system. The project is backed by the acceleration zone of the Pomeranian Special Economic Zone, the Akces programme of Poland's National Centre for Research and Development, the Gdańsk Entrepreneurship Foundation and the DualTec cluster. Technology is led by co-founder Jakub Zdroik, whose background lies in academic work on communications technologies including underwater links, while Maksymilian Ananiew is responsible for commercial development.

 

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