Over the next four months, Danish authorities are testing a new drone over the Great Belt to monitor emissions from ships sailing on the busy Route T.
European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) provides the drone, which will operate in a specific area north of the Great Belt, the Danish Maritime Authority (DMA) announced.
By flying into the ship’s exhaust gas plume, the drone can use its so-called “sniffer technology” to register the sulphur content in the ship’s fuel. These data are immediately available to the Danish Environmental Protection Agency, who can then follow up if a ship is emitting too much sulphur.
This is the second time EMSA is testing a sulphur-sniffing drone in Denmark. Last year, a different model patrolled in the area for three months.
Several Danish authorities have cooperated to get the drone from EMSA in action above Danish waters.
The test project results from collaboration between the Ministry of Environment and Food of Denmark, the Danish Environmental Protection Agency and the Danish Maritime Authority.
The sulphur drone operates in Denmark from 1st July to 31st October 2020.
