Unmanned aerial systems to aid marine surveillance

Namibia is a country rich in natural resources, ranging from minerals, wildlife, marine life, and recently discovered oil and gas reserves.These are valuable resources that, if managed accordingly, could see the economic transformation of the country.Due to the high value of these reserves, careful management and monitoring is required not only to oversee the protection and gainful extraction of the reserves, but, with over 1 500 km of coastline to monitor, it is an incredibly difficult task to keep track of all the vessels that are operating within Namibian waters."The country loses billions of dollars in revenue due to illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing operations in Namibian waters. Further to this, it is known that many vessels under-report their catches and also participate in trans-shipping while at sea. These activities have a massive negative impact on the Namibian economy," explained Daniel Tichagwa from In Position Security Services.Eye in the Sky"In order to help reduce such incidents, and to curb and also catch illegally operating vessels, unmanned aerial systems could prove an invaluable aid to state agencies, NGO’s and, inevitably, all Namibians," he added.Unmanned aerial systems (UAS) are air vehicles and associated equipment that do not carry a human operator, but instead are remotely piloted or fly autonomously.UAS are also commonly referred to as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), remotely piloted aircraft systems (RPAS) and drones.A UAS generally consists of an aircraft with no pilot on board, a remote pilot station, a command-and-control link, and a payload specific to the intended application/operation, which often includes specialised cameras or other sensors that collect data for near-term analysis.These systems can be utilised to perform a variety of operations, including border patrol, equipment inspections, maritime surveillance, surveying, and emergency operations, to name a few.Protecting the Nest"Making use of long-range UAS, Namibia can patrol the entirety of its coastal areas with as few as five UAV’s, which would see more regular patrol flights, enhanced visibility and a capacity for detection that few other countries on the continent could match," Tichagwa said.Not only can this curb illegal activities at sea or further inshore, but these long-range UAV’s can be equipped with various payload options ranging from long-range high-resolution camera systems to long-range infra-red and thermal camera systems, to suit whatever application.Making use of long-range live video feeds, the various agencies can detect and report on illegal vessels, poachers or any kind of illicit activity and help in the co-ordination of security measures to curb these.In Position Security Services is a wholly Namibian-owned entity that is working towards the realisation of long-range UAS to enable marine and terrestrial patrols to reduce incidents of illegal biomass and resource harvesting and to increase the protection of Namibian resources and territorial sovereignty.Contact: info@inposition.com.na

Unmanned aerial systems to aid marine surveillance

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Namibian Sun 2025-05-08

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Unmanned aerial systems to aid marine surveillance

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Namibian Sun 2025-05-08

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