The unmanned drone mission on the coast of Lithuania has ended – 140 ships were inspected during it

During the drone mission lasting for more than 3 months, the Baltic Sea coast of Lithuania and the waters of the Klaipėda port were monitored and 140 ships were examined for the quality of exhaust gases. Such possibility was provided by the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA), and the mission itself was led by national institutions, including the Environmental Protection Department under the Ministry of the Environment, the Klaipėda State Seaport Directorate, and the Fisheries Service under the Ministry of Agriculture.

To carry out surveillance of the waters of Klaipėda port and the movement of ships, to measure the amount of sulphur in the exhaust gases of ships and to record cases of water pollution – such tasks were assigned by the Port Authority to the unmanned drone that performed a mission in the port city.

“While participating in this project and having the opportunity to use modern tools, we evaluated ship emissions and the impact of loading processes on the environment. During the project, the harbour water area was directly monitored by drone. The available results of the observations made during the mission will allow us to make the most effective decisions on how to prevent possible violations, should they occur. Our priority goal is to make the port as environmentally friendly as possible. When implementing the concept of a green port, we have planned environmental protection measures, that will help to go in the direction of “greening”,” says Algis Latakas, director general of the Klaipėda State Seaport Directorate.

The unmanned aircraft flew five days a week in the port of Klaipėda and in the Baltic Sea looking for possible violations of environmental protection. Flying at the harbour gates, the drone studied exhaust gases of every ship entering the harbour. The drone’s sensor was able to determine the percentage of sulphur in the ship’s fuel.

“In Lithuania, the implementation of international and national agreements on ships is controlled by the Marine Environmental Protection Inspection. We are glad that with the help of modern technology we were able to check the sulphur content of the fuel of every ship entering the port, 140 ships were checked, 7 exceedances were recorded by drone – after conducting inspections on 2 ships, the exceedances were not confirmed. The possible violations of the other 5 ships were recorded after leaving the port, therefore, the administrations of the flag states were informed in order to initiate inspections,” said the chief specialist of the Marine Environmental Protection Inspection Gintarė Šešplaukė.

As the environmentalist said, this modern drone, flying over ships sailing at sea, measures the amount of sulphur in the exhaust gas and allows to determine whether the amount of sulphur in the fuel does not exceed the set norms. The available functions allow to make environmental enforcement more effective and purposeful, prevent violations faster, and the increase of inspection work performance is also noticeable.

These drones were equipped with a variety of equipment – a sensor for the amount of sulphur in exhaust gas, a range finder, GPS coordinate locator, as well as usual and infrared cameras that detect oil stains in water during the day and night. The footage captured by the drone cameras was recorded and broadcasted live to the inspectors involved in the project.

At least one day a week, the unmanned aircraft performed preventive flights over the Klaipėda port water area. While flying in the port, the drone performed a number of preventive tasks: it monitored the port’s waters for possible cases of pollution by oil products, as well as loading operations for the possible fall of cargo particles into the water, monitored ship repair work, waste transfer operations, and the movement of ships in the port.

The images filmed and broadcast by the drone allowed the employees of the Department of Environmental Protection and the Klaipėda State Seaport Directorate to directly monitor the port’s activities and quickly react to any suspicions of pollution.

In addition, during the mission, the drone provided valuable data to Fisheries Service inspectors on Baltic Sea fishing control. Drone raids were carried out on the coasts of Juodkrantė and Melnragė, at night, early morning and during the day. Inspectors searched for illegally placed nets through drone cameras, monitored the behaviour and work of coastal fishermen and organized combined sea and port inspections.

“The drone was the “eyes” of the inspectors at sea, which helped to identify suspicious persons, remotely check the owners of the vessel’s registration and fishing nets, and determine the exact location of the nets. Under normal circumstances, all this should be done by inspectors going to sea on an inspection vessel. By using the drone, the institution’s resources and inspectors’ working time were saved,” said Giedrius Mačernis, head of the Baltic Sea Fishing Control Department of the Fisheries Control Department of the Fisheries Service.

In the project that lasted from mid-April to the end of July, drone services were provided in Lithuania by the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA), and they were piloted by the company ALTUS LSA.

Three Lithuanian institutions used the information collected by the drone – the Environmental Protection Department, the Fisheries Service and the Directorate of the Klaipėda State Seaport. The Navy, the Air Force and the State Border Guard Service helped implement the project.

The authorities thank the European Maritime Safety Agency and the company ALTUS LSA for the interesting, smooth and productive cooperation during the project. With the help of innovative technologies, inspectors were able to efficiently use their available resources and time. Institutions that participated in the project were convinced of the benefits brought by modern technologies. It is expected that in the near future Lithuania could purchase similar drones on its own, thus strengthening the control of environmental protection on the coast of Lithuania throughout the year.