Denmark tests unmanned robotic sailboat fleet with tensions high in the region
KOGE MARINA, Denmark — From a distance they look almost like ordinary sailboats, their sails emblazoned with the red-and-white flag of Denmark.
But these 10-metre (30-foot) -long vessels carry no crew and are designed for surveillance.
Four uncrewed robotic sailboats, known as 'Voyagers,' have been put into service by Denmark's armed forces for a three-month operational trial.
Built by Alameda, California-based company Saildrone, the vessels will patrol Danish and NATO waters in the Baltic and North Seas, where maritime tensions and suspected sabotage have escalated sharply since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022.
Two of the Voyagers launched Monday from Koge Marina, about 40 kilometres (25 miles) south of the Danish capital, Copenhagen. Powered by wind and solar energy, these sea drones can operate autonomously for months at sea. Saildrone says the vessels carry advanced sensor suites — radar, infrared and optical cameras, sonar and acoustic monitoring.
Their launch comes after two others already joined a NATO patrol on June 6.
Saildrone founder and CEO Richard Jenkins compared the vessels to a 'truck' that carries sensors and uses machine learning and artificial intelligence to give a 'full picture of what's above and below the surface' to about 20 to 30 miles (30 to 50 kilometres) in the open ocean.
He said that maritime threats like damage to undersea cables, illegal fishing and the smuggling of people, weapons and drugs are going undetected simply because 'no one's observing it.'
Saildrone, he said, is 'going to places ... where we previously didn't have eyes and ears.'
The Danish Defense Ministry says the trial is aimed at boosting surveillance capacity in under-monitored waters, especially around critical undersea infrastructure such as fiber-optic cables and power lines.
'The security situation in the Baltic is tense,' said Lt. Gen. Kim Jørgensen, the director of Danish National Armaments at the ministry. 'They're going to cruise Danish waters, and then later they're going to join up with the two that are on (the) NATO exercise. And then they'll move from area to area within the Danish waters.'
The trial comes as NATO confronts a wave of damage to maritime infrastructure — including the 2022 Nord Stream pipeline explosions and the rupture of at least 11 undersea cables since late 2023. The most recent incident, in January, severed a fiber-optic link between Latvia and Sweden's Gotland island.
The trial also unfolds against a backdrop of trans-Atlantic friction — with U.S. President Donald Trump's administration threatening to seize Greenland, a semiautonomous territory belonging to Denmark, a NATO member. Trump has said he wouldn't rule out military force to take Greenland.
Jenkins, the founder of Saildrone, noted that his company had already planned to open its operation in Denmark before Trump was reelected. He didn't want to comment on the Greenland matter, insisting the company isn't political.
Some of the maritime disruptions have been blamed on Russia's so-called shadow fleet — aging oil tankers operating under opaque ownership to avoid sanctions. One such vessel, the Eagle S, was seized by Finnish police in December for allegedly damaging a power cable between Finland and Estonia with its anchor.
Western officials accuse Russia of behind behind a string of hybrid war attacks on land and at sea.
Amid these concerns, NATO is moving to build a layered maritime surveillance system combining uncrewed surface vehicles like the Voyagers with traditional naval ships, satellites and seabed sensors.
'The challenge is that you basically need to be on the water all the time, and it's humongously expensive,' said Peter Viggo Jakobsen of the Royal Danish Defense College. 'It's simply too expensive for us to have a warship trailing every single Russian ship, be it a warship or a civilian freighter of some kind.'
'We're trying to put together a layered system that will enable us to keep constant monitoring of potential threats, but at a much cheaper level than before,' he added.
James Brooks, The Associated Press
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CTV News
4 hours ago
- CTV News
Waterloo Region companies hoping to get a share of defence spending boost
The Prime Minster has announced a big boost in defence spending. And as CTV's Karis Mapp reports, it could trickle down to tech companies. The Prime Minster has announced a big boost in defence spending. And as CTV's Karis Mapp reports, it could trickle down to tech companies. Canada is poised to boost defence spending by billions of dollars, and companies in Waterloo Region are hoping to see some of that money trickle into the area. Prime Minister Mark Carney announced plans to meet NATO's spending target this fiscal year, a goal the country has never met despite a promise in 2014 to do so. The federal government said it will need to spend an additional $9.3 billion beyond what was already laid out in pervious spending plans to meet the goal. Some of that money will be used on salary increases for Canadian Armed Forces members, but tech companies are also hoping to see a share. 'There's both a civilian application as well as a military application,' Matthew Klassen, vice president of external relations with Communitech, said. Communitech works with founders in the technology industry to help them make their ideas a reality. 'Sometimes companies will start out working in fleet logistics or in health care or HR, and it ends up that their application can be scaled and used by the military in theatres around the world,' Klassen said. Communitech was chosen as one of two Canadian accelerators that would be joining NATO's DIANA network in 2024. 'We not yet activated as an accelerator, but we're part of this network and it allows us to basically connect our start ups and scale ups into London, into Estonia, into Germany, into the States,' Klassen explained. Klassen believes local companies could have an important role to play in bolstering Canada's defense capabilities. 'We also think it would be really important that [the funding] goes to local innovators who are already working with large multinational companies, with governments and allies across the world to solve some of their biggest challenges,' he said. A company from Kitchener has already shown how companies from the Waterloo Region can help when it comes to international threats. SkyWatch gained worldwide recognition leading up to the invasion of Ukraine in 2022. 'There was some rumour of tanks gathering near the western Russian border,' James Slifierz, CEO of SkyWatch, said. 'The volume of tanks got so big that we were able to compare the two previous military exercises that the Russian government had done. Our partners were able to establish that this was very likely to be a real threat to a real invasion,' he said. Slifierz said the investment in defence spending is crucial to building Canada's independence from the United States. 'I think Canada's recognizing that we've been over reliant on our neighbours to the south for too long and we've probably underinvested and under procured in our own infrastructure, in our own national security, in our own military.' More details about how the funding will be used are expected to be revealed as the G7 Leader's Summit continues in Alberta.
CTV News
13 hours ago
- CTV News
Denmark tests unmanned robotic sailboat fleet with tensions high in the region
KOGE MARINA, Denmark — From a distance they look almost like ordinary sailboats, their sails emblazoned with the red-and-white flag of Denmark. But these 10-metre (30-foot) -long vessels carry no crew and are designed for surveillance. Four uncrewed robotic sailboats, known as 'Voyagers,' have been put into service by Denmark's armed forces for a three-month operational trial. Built by Alameda, California-based company Saildrone, the vessels will patrol Danish and NATO waters in the Baltic and North Seas, where maritime tensions and suspected sabotage have escalated sharply since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022. Two of the Voyagers launched Monday from Koge Marina, about 40 kilometres (25 miles) south of the Danish capital, Copenhagen. Powered by wind and solar energy, these sea drones can operate autonomously for months at sea. Saildrone says the vessels carry advanced sensor suites — radar, infrared and optical cameras, sonar and acoustic monitoring. Their launch comes after two others already joined a NATO patrol on June 6. Saildrone founder and CEO Richard Jenkins compared the vessels to a 'truck' that carries sensors and uses machine learning and artificial intelligence to give a 'full picture of what's above and below the surface' to about 20 to 30 miles (30 to 50 kilometres) in the open ocean. He said that maritime threats like damage to undersea cables, illegal fishing and the smuggling of people, weapons and drugs are going undetected simply because 'no one's observing it.' Saildrone, he said, is 'going to places ... where we previously didn't have eyes and ears.' The Danish Defense Ministry says the trial is aimed at boosting surveillance capacity in under-monitored waters, especially around critical undersea infrastructure such as fiber-optic cables and power lines. 'The security situation in the Baltic is tense,' said Lt. Gen. Kim Jørgensen, the director of Danish National Armaments at the ministry. 'They're going to cruise Danish waters, and then later they're going to join up with the two that are on (the) NATO exercise. And then they'll move from area to area within the Danish waters.' The trial comes as NATO confronts a wave of damage to maritime infrastructure — including the 2022 Nord Stream pipeline explosions and the rupture of at least 11 undersea cables since late 2023. The most recent incident, in January, severed a fiber-optic link between Latvia and Sweden's Gotland island. The trial also unfolds against a backdrop of trans-Atlantic friction — with U.S. President Donald Trump's administration threatening to seize Greenland, a semiautonomous territory belonging to Denmark, a NATO member. Trump has said he wouldn't rule out military force to take Greenland. Jenkins, the founder of Saildrone, noted that his company had already planned to open its operation in Denmark before Trump was reelected. He didn't want to comment on the Greenland matter, insisting the company isn't political. Some of the maritime disruptions have been blamed on Russia's so-called shadow fleet — aging oil tankers operating under opaque ownership to avoid sanctions. One such vessel, the Eagle S, was seized by Finnish police in December for allegedly damaging a power cable between Finland and Estonia with its anchor. Western officials accuse Russia of behind behind a string of hybrid war attacks on land and at sea. Amid these concerns, NATO is moving to build a layered maritime surveillance system combining uncrewed surface vehicles like the Voyagers with traditional naval ships, satellites and seabed sensors. 'The challenge is that you basically need to be on the water all the time, and it's humongously expensive,' said Peter Viggo Jakobsen of the Royal Danish Defense College. 'It's simply too expensive for us to have a warship trailing every single Russian ship, be it a warship or a civilian freighter of some kind.' 'We're trying to put together a layered system that will enable us to keep constant monitoring of potential threats, but at a much cheaper level than before,' he added. James Brooks, The Associated Press
Winnipeg Free Press
14 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Denmark tests unmanned robotic sailboat fleet with tensions high in the region
KOGE MARINA, Denmark (AP) — From a distance they look almost like ordinary sailboats, their sails emblazoned with the red-and-white flag of Denmark. But these 10-meter-long (30-foot-long) vessels carry no crew and are designed for surveillance. Four uncrewed robotic sailboats, known as 'Voyagers,' have been put into service by Denmark's armed forces for a three-month operational trial. Built by Alameda, California-based company Saildrone, the vessels will patrol Danish and NATO waters in the Baltic and North Seas, where maritime tensions and suspected sabotage have escalated sharply since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022. Two of the Voyagers launched Monday from Koge Marina, about 40 kilometers (25 miles) south of Copenhagen. Powered by wind and solar energy, these sea drones can operate autonomously for months at sea. Saildrone says the vessels carry advanced sensor suites — radar, infrared and optical cameras, sonar and acoustic monitoring. Their launch comes after two others already joined a NATO patrol on June 6. Saildrone founder and CEO Richard Jenkins compared the vessels to a 'truck' that carries sensors and uses machine learning and artificial intelligence to give a 'full picture of what's above and below the surface' to about 20 to 30 miles (30 to 50 kilometers) in the open ocean. He said that maritime threats like damage to undersea cables, illegal fishing and the smuggling of people, weapons and drugs are going undetected simply because 'no one's observing it.' Saildrone, he said, is 'going to places … where we previously didn't have eyes and ears.' The Danish Defense Ministry says the trial is aimed at boosting surveillance capacity in under-monitored waters, especially around critical undersea infrastructure such as fiber-optic cables and power lines. 'The security situation in the Baltic is tense,' said Lt. Gen. Kim Jørgensen, the director of Danish National Armaments at the ministry. 'They're going to cruise Danish waters, and then later they're going to join up with the two that are on (the) NATO exercise. And then they'll move from area to area within the Danish waters.' The trial comes as NATO confronts a wave of damage to maritime infrastructure — including the 2022 Nord Stream pipeline explosions and the rupture of at least 11 undersea cables since late 2023. The most recent incident, in January, severed a fiber-optic link between Latvia and Sweden's Gotland island. The trial also unfolds against a backdrop of trans-Atlantic friction — with U.S. President Donald Trump's administration threatening to seize Greenland, a semiautonomous territory belonging to Denmark, a NATO ally. Trump has said he wouldn't rule out military force to take Greenland. Wednesdays Columnist Jen Zoratti looks at what's next in arts, life and pop culture. Jenkins, the founder of Saildrone, noted that his company had already planned to open its operation in Denmark before Trump was reelected. He didn't want to comment on the Greenland matter, insisting the company isn't political. Some of the maritime disruptions have been blamed on Russia's so-called shadow fleet — aging oil tankers operating under opaque ownership to avoid sanctions. One such vessel, the Eagle S, was seized by Finnish police in December for allegedly damaging a power cable between Finland and Estonia with its anchor. Amid these concerns, NATO is moving to build a layered maritime surveillance system combining uncrewed surface vehicles like the Voyagers with traditional naval ships, satellites and seabed sensors. 'The challenge is that you basically need to be on the water all the time, and it's humongously expensive,' said Peter Viggo Jakobsen of the Royal Danish Defence College. 'It's simply too expensive for us to have a warship trailing every single Russian ship, be it a warship or a civilian freighter of some kind.' 'We're trying to put together a layered system that will enable us to keep constant monitoring of potential threats, but at a much cheaper level than before,' he added.
