Remotely-operated drones to boost emergency response, surveillance in Singapore’s waters
These drones can be launched up to 80 per cent faster than before, when operators had to be physically out at sea to get them airborne.
These remotely-operated drones can be launched up to 80 per cent faster than before.
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SINGAPORE: Emergency responses at sea will soon become faster and more effective, with remotely-operated drones now used to keep watch over ships and port activities.
The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) has rolled out the use of such drones for surveillance since September – becoming the first organisation to deploy them across the country’s busy port waters.
Beyond routine monitoring, the drones can also be quickly redeployed to support incident response operations when needed.
BOOSTING MARITIME RESPONSE
These drones can be launched up to 80 per cent faster than before. Previously, drone operators had to be physically present outdoors to get the drones airborne.
“Traditionally when we operate drones, we have to be physically on site or on board our vessels to operate them,” said Mr Chua Chun Kang, deputy director at MPA’s maritime space and drone capability department.
MPA said these unmanned aerial solutions make it possible to inspect high-traffic areas more frequently without needing additional patrol crafts – a crucial advantage in Singapore, home to one of the world’s busiest ports.
“They provide regular surveillance, and it extends and complements the response capabilities of our patrol craft,” said Mr Chua, adding that this enables MPA to detect irregularities more effectively and respond when necessary.
“(Equipped) with high-resolution cameras and video analytics, these drones provide real-time insights to our patrol craft and partner agencies. This allows us to do targeted checks and inspections and allows us to better optimise the use of our resources.”
The authorities said they are working to expand the system to cover most of Singapore’s port waters in the coming years.
They are also looking into wider uses for drones at sea, including delivering items directly to ships.
FLYING FURTHER OUT
With the new system, operators can now remotely launch and control these drones across multiple locations from a single centralised operations centre.
The drones are also capable of autonomous take-off and landing at their designated docking stations.
Currently, authorities have installed these drones at Marina South Pier, West Coast Pier and Pasir Panjang Power Station.
From the control centre in One-North, operators are able to launch and manage multiple drones simultaneously.
Service provider Skyports Drone Services told CNA that remote operations allow the drones to fly much farther out to sea, enabling quicker and more efficient detection of incidents or suspicious activities.
“Traditional drone operations will require a drone pilot to be on site, and their operating limit is currently limited to 400m, and it requires the pilot to be moving from site to site,” said Mr Darryl Woon, a flight operations manager at the firm.
“With this current set-up, the drone operations can be extended to up to 5km. This will allow the pilot to also see critical areas of interest and to spot oil spills as and when they happen.”
