She will be used as a platform for research and trials both by the German defence technology station WTD 71 at Eckernforde and by the research institution for water-borne sound and geophysics (FWG) in Kiel. However the type will undoubtedly also find a wider commercial application and NSW will be looking for more orders for the unusual ship.

NSW, which is part of the ThyssenKrupp group and a sister shipyard of Blohm + Voss in Hamburg, acknowledged it had taken on a special technical challenge with the design and construction of Planet. Meeting the demands posed by ship design and acoustics (eg weight and sound emission) required considerable effort and know-how, it said.

In this respect, the shipyard said it had made use of its considerable experience in the design and construction of submarines. All noise producing machinery, such as diesel-generators and auxiliaries, were placed on the main deck high above the waterline and bedded double-elastically.

Planet's all-electric energy generation and drive systems are being employed for the first time by the German Navy. Extremely silent electric motors, two each in the twin hulls under the water-line for a combined 4160kW, drive the two propellers and provide 15 knots. This reduces the acoustic signature drastically and meets the high demands of the buyer, NSW said.

Planet 's sea-stay period is put at 30 days and her range of operations at 5000 sea miles.