Iceland Uses Hermes 900 UAV to Monitor its EEZ
Ami Rojkes Dombe
| 30/05/2019
The European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) revealed earlier this month that the Icelandic Coast Guard is using a Hermes 900 UAV for maritime surveillance of its Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).
The service follows a request made by the Icelandic coast guard to EMSA and is expected to run until mid-July, the agency said in a release.
The Hermes 900 is integrated into the existing surveillance mechanisms and procedures covering coast guard functions in the areas of maritime safety and security, search and rescue, environmental protection, law enforcement and fisheries control, the release said.
EMSA added that the Hermes 900 is adapted to withstand the strong winds and icy conditions common to the North Atlantic Ocean. It has an endurance of over 12 hours and may perform maritime surveillance tasks in areas extending as far as 200nm from the shoreline. The operations are based at the Egilsstaðir airport in the east of the island. From there, they have the capability to cover more than half of the Icelandic EEZ.
According to EMSA, several Icelandic authorities will be able to follow the missions remotely thanks to the agency’s RPAS data center. Users include the Icelandic coast guard, the fisheries directorate, the environment agency, the customs directorate, the police force, and the search and rescue association.
“EMSA’s RPAS services give us and our users, in this case Iceland, another lens through which we can gain even greater situational awareness,” said EMSA Executive Director, Maja Markovčić Kostelac.
The European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) revealed earlier this month that the Icelandic Coast Guard is using a Hermes 900 UAV for maritime surveillance of its Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).
The service follows a request made by the Icelandic coast guard to EMSA and is expected to run until mid-July, the agency said in a release.
The Hermes 900 is integrated into the existing surveillance mechanisms and procedures covering coast guard functions in the areas of maritime safety and security, search and rescue, environmental protection, law enforcement and fisheries control, the release said.
EMSA added that the Hermes 900 is adapted to withstand the strong winds and icy conditions common to the North Atlantic Ocean. It has an endurance of over 12 hours and may perform maritime surveillance tasks in areas extending as far as 200nm from the shoreline. The operations are based at the Egilsstaðir airport in the east of the island. From there, they have the capability to cover more than half of the Icelandic EEZ.
According to EMSA, several Icelandic authorities will be able to follow the missions remotely thanks to the agency’s RPAS data center. Users include the Icelandic coast guard, the fisheries directorate, the environment agency, the customs directorate, the police force, and the search and rescue association.
“EMSA’s RPAS services give us and our users, in this case Iceland, another lens through which we can gain even greater situational awareness,” said EMSA Executive Director, Maja Markovčić Kostelac.
