Perimeter patrol

Challenge

Pirates often employ small ships to attack large commercial ships, particularly at night, boarding vessels and taking the crew and its contents hostage. Due to the lack of mobile long-range detection tools providing aerial insight, ship captains lack information about nearby pirate activities. Consequently, captains often avoid sailing through known danger zones, such as the East Coast of Africa.
In coastal areas, ships tend to travel faster, as no ship traveling faster than 18 knots has ever been successfully boarded. Both strategies result in extra fuel expenses and wasted time due to longer chosen routes.

The total cost of piracy to the shipping industry, considering insurance and time lost, is estimated at over €6B per year.

Solution

Upteko’s multipurpose drone system introduces a feature called Perimeter Patrol. This feature allows any member of the crew to investigate surrounding vessels approaching the ship. Within the drone system, a built-in feature is added, enabling a crew member with no prior drone experience to operate and control the aerial camera in any direction.