Miniature wind propulsion

US company Saildrone recently made the move to Europe with a subsidiary in Denmark. Saildrone develops autonomous vessels from six to 20 metres long that use wind propulsion to propel themselves.

These so-called ‘saildrones’ are used for scientific observations, both on the surface and underwater, among other things. They can also meet the urgent need for ‘maritime awareness’ in European waters, reports the manufacturer. Although this is a different application from commercial cargo ships, the benefits of wind propulsion are evident here too.

“Given the recent sabotage of critical submarine infrastructure in the Baltic Sea, the need for permanent maritime regional awareness has never been greater,” says Richard Jenkins, Saildrone founder and CEO. According to Jenkins, Saildrone Denmark can facilitate European operations and support allied nations, “at this critical time for regional maritime security.”

Real-time ISR

With rising geopolitical tensions and increasing activity in the Baltic Sea, the need for good maritime intelligence is paramount. Saildrone’s unmanned surface vehicles (USVs) are capable of operating autonomously for extended periods of time. Equipped with an array of advanced sensors, these systems provide real-time ISR (Intelligence, Surveillance & Reconnaissance) above and below the surface, allowing detection of anomalous behaviour, monitoring of vessel traffic and protection of national interests in strategically sensitive waters.

Vital infrastructure

In addition to surface surveillance, Saildrone vehicles will map the ocean floor in detail, providing a significant advantage in monitoring and securing undersea infrastructure, such as pipelines, communication cables and offshore energy platforms. By combining high-resolution images of the seabed with proprietary machine learning algorithms, potential threats or anomalies can be detected early.

Centrally located

According to Saildrone, Denmark is uniquely located at the centre of Europe’s maritime environment, with coastlines on both the Baltic Sea and the North Sea. Saildrone Denmark will be the hub for all European operations, with local personnel for support, training and mission planning.

Source and image: Saildrone.

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