In collaboration with its partner Nordic Unmanned, Schiebel is using its Camcopter S-100 UAS to monitor ship emissions in Danish waters, in support of the Danish Maritime Authority (DMA) and the Danish Environmental Protection Agency (DEPA).

The European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) is offering the Remotely Piloted Aircraft System (RPAS) service.

“After our successful sulphur sniffing demonstration in January, we’re proud to be EMSA’s chosen UAS for these important and complex operations,” says Hans Georg Schiebel, chairman of the Schiebel Group.

“It goes to show, that the maritime experience and pedigree of the Camcopter S-100 is second to none.”

Specifically, the Camcopter S-100 is being used to measure the ships’ sulphur emissions to check compliance with the EU rules governing the sulphur content of marine fuels. Measurements are transmitted in real time to the EMSA RPAS Data Centre and to THETIS EU in Portugal, which creates alerts for authorities to follow up on.

Nordic Unmanned, NORCE Research Institute AS and Schiebel are the service providers for this Danish deployment covering the Great Belt.

“It’s great to be back in Denmark supporting Danish authorities in the prevention of marine air pollution. We are very impressed by the performance of the Camcopter  S-100 and its small and effective logistical footprint, in addition to the support from the Schiebel Group,” says Knut Roar Wiig, CEO of Nordic Unmanned AS.

“Based on our team’s experience and track record, the BVLOS flight permit for this deployment in Denmark was secured in only a week’s time.”

With a flight endurance of six-plus hours, and capable of operating during the day and night, the Camcopter S-100 is equipped with several pieces of unique technology, including an Explicit mini sniffer sensor system, an L3 Wescam Electro-Optical / Infra-Red (EO/IR) camera gimbal and an Automatic Identification System (AIS) receiver.

Schiebel provides a variety of maritime surveillance services for EMSA to several EU member states and EU bodies. The Camcopter S-100 is also currently operational for the Republic of Croatia, as well as Finland.