Awarded in late 2025 following a competitive process, the work focuses on addressing a fundamental challenge facing the sector: defining and quantifying the scale of the UK Maritime Autonomy opportunity.
Commissioned by NPL as part of the Maritime Autonomy Assurance Testbed (MAAT) programme, and delivered in partnership with NSO, the study provides a robust, evidence-based as/sessment of the UK Maritime Autonomy market.

A key outcome of the study is the development of a consistent and practical definition of Maritime Autonomy – one that reflects the realities of both technology and operations, and can be applied across industry, policy, and investment contexts.
This shared understanding is critical to enabling meaningful measurement, comparison, and decision-making across the sector.

The report assesses the market’s structure and scale, quantifying current and future economic potential across commercial and defence applications.

It identifies:

• Key market drivers and growth enablers
• Barriers and constraints to adoption
• Strategic opportunities for the UK to strengthen its position

Together, this provides a clear, data-led view of where value exists today, and where it may emerge in the fut

The study aims to establish a shared, authoritative evidence base that supports decision- making across government, industry, and the investment community. By providing a clearer understanding of the opportunity, the report offers a practical foundation for:

• Policy development
• Investment planning
• Strategic decision-making in a rapidly evolving sector

This work represents a genuinely collaborative effort, bringing together expertise from across government, industry, and academia to ensure the analysis is both technically grounded and economically robust.

Stehr Consulting would like to thank all contributors and stakeholders who have supported the development of this study.

The Full Report and Executive Summary are available to download here: Quantifying the UK Maritime Autonomy Opportunity | Stehr Consulting.