A Dutch ship designer has unveiled a prototype for an autonomous underwater maintenance dredger (AUMD).

C-Job Naval Architects said the unique blueprint is aimed at maintenance work in ports.

"The team took advantage of the opportunities and out-of-the-box solutions autonomous vessels provide such as completely submerging a dredging vessel," it added.

The vessel requires significantly less power than a conventional dredger and comes equipped with a 16MWh battery pack that provides enough power for up to 12 hours of operation, the company said.