The Coast Guard just began testing unmanned surface vessels off Hawaii, trying to learn if they can be used in remote parts of the Pacific to detect illegal fishing or other problems.
The tests are run by the Coast Guard Research and Development Center, working with local Coast Guard units. They involve the Coast Guard’s own autonomous research vessel made by Metal Shark (at the left in the picture above), and autonomous vessel systems from SailDrone (at the right) and Spatial Integration Systems. The tests are off the south shore of Oahu, and run through Nov. 5.
The tests will focus on the vessels’ ability to provide consistent domain awareness, particularly in remote areas of the ocean. They will include detection, sensor packages, and how communications flow between the unmanned vessels and a command center.
They will help the Coast Guard determine if small, unmanned vessels can be used in remote areas to detect suspected illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing or other activity, and alert command centers to possible violations.
At the end of the tests, the Research and Development Center will publish a report with recommendations for potential future actions. Read more:
