This summer, our Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS) services have been deployed on nine different operations across 11 EU and EEA Member States.

The operations, which are taking place in parallel, directly support more than 20 national authorities, as well as the European Fisheries Control Agency, in activities like maritime safety (including search and rescue), maritime security, pollution monitoring and fisheries control.

As part of the EMSA- led Multipurpose Maritime Operation, our RPAS service is supporting Belgian and French authorities in La Manche and the Southern North Sea for multipurpose maritime surveillance and emissions monitoring.

RPAS regional deployments are also supporting Danish and Norwegian authorities in the North Sea; Finnish, Latvian, and Estonian authorities across the Northern Baltic Sea; Spanish and Portuguese authorities in the Atlantic region; and Italian authorities in the Gulf of Genoa for a deployment that also includes monitoring the migration patterns of whales in the protected Pelagos Sanctuary.

In the Western Baltic, EMSA’s RPAS are also supporting German and Danish authorities in emissions monitoring within a designated Sulphur Emissions Control Area (SECA).

At the same time, the three fisheries control patrol vessels chartered by the European Fisheries Control Agency (EFCA) have all been equipped with an RPAS service to assist the on-board inspection teams. The EFCA patrol vessels are navigating in different sea basins - from the Mediterranean Sea to the North Atlantic - serving as platforms for fisheries inspections.

Additionally, RPAS systems are also on standby on board 11 of EMSA’s chartered oil spill response vessels.

The RPAS service is offered free of charge by EMSA to Member State authorities executing coast guard functions and EU Agencies for use in a wide range of maritime scenarios. Find out more about RPAS at EMSA.