A Norwegian drone company will monitor Europe's shores

The Norwegian drilling company Nordic Unmanned, in collaboration with Scandinavian partners, has signed a major contract with the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA). The contract has a NOK 136 million framework and the main task is to control the swallow emissions of ships in European waters. Drones can also be used for general coastal surveillance during special events.

Scandinavian cooperation

The mission is a collaboration between several Scandinavian actors. The drones come from Swedish-Swiss UMS Skeldar, of the Skeldar V-200 type. The sensors come from Danish Explicit, while Norut in Tromsø provides streaming software. Nordic Unmanned will use the drones.

Four Skeldar UAVs will be operational and ready for EU and EEA Member States. This means that drones can in principle also work in Norwegian waters.

It will be up to EMSA to decide which Member States will use the service at any time, which will be free for the countries. In Norway, the direction of the Norwegian Navy, Coastal Administration and Coast Guard, who can use it, writes the website of the UAS Norway branch organization.

Fly in the smoke

Drones operate in the smoke behind the ships along the coast and, with the help of a special Explicit sniper, they can measure and calculate the inflated emissions. UAVs can operate 50 kilometers from the base on earth.

"For us, at Nordic Unmanned, this contract represents a dramatic increase in our turnover and we are doubling the number of employees from 10 to 20", said Nordek Unmanned CEO Knut Roar Wiig at Teknisk Ukeblad.

In addition to the emissions monitoring contract, EMSA and Nordic Unmanned have also concluded a contract for monitoring oil spills, maritime surveillance and border surveillance. It will be performed with the help of more than 10 Lockheed Martin's quad-copper Indago2 UAVs.

Unlike the Skeldar drones, these drones will work from ships, says Wiig

Initially, they will be posted aboard EMSA's preparation vessel to assist in the monitoring of oil spills. Later, they can be placed on other ships.