Nordic Unmanned is under contract to assist the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) and the French General Directorate for Maritime Affairs, fishery and aquaculture (DGAMPA) in conducting a large-scale emissions monitoring campaign using remotely piloted aircraft. Since April, the CAMCOPTER S-100 has measured the sulphur content in ships’ exhaust plumes in the Channel and the North Sea to detect violations of the applicable limits.

The remotely piloted aircraft (RPAS) takes off from the CROSS Griz-Nez site on the French north coast and flies over selected ships operating in the Channel and the North Sea to measure the sulphur content of their exhaust plumes using specific sensors. The strait is one of the busiest seaways in the world and over 400 commercial vessels use the passageway every day.

This operation is one of multiple simultaneous European deployments for Nordic Unmanned this summer. The Nordic Unmanned crew deliver daily operations with live communication being provided through EMSA’s RPAS Data Centre which allows end-users to follow the RPAS operations live and remotely.