For the first time, an unmanned vessel supports a Highcrest security drill
Exercise Highcrest 2015 has been recently conducted in Singapore with the use of an unmanned surface vessel.
Exercise Highcrest 2015 is organised by the Singapore Maritime Crisis Centre (SMCC). A total of 900 personnel from 15 government agencies participated this year including the Republic of Singapore Navy, Police Coast Guard, Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) and Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA).
Image Credit: Today Online.com
Singapore Strait Times reports that the16m-long Venus unmanned surface vessel, developed by ST Engineering, alerted the coast guard to intruder activity by “terrorists” on a small boat, successfully preventing an attack. It is the first time, an unmanned vessel supports a Highcrest security drill.
The maritime security drill also involved the hijacking of a merchant vessel, which required MPA to alert the navy and coast guard. Troops from the Singapore Armed Forces’ Special Operations Task Force stormed the “hijacked” vessel , while SCDF and MPA activated manpower to put out a fire and contain an oil spill respectively.
The use of the Venus vessel is still under experimentation. The Venus 16 can be fitted with different equipment, when the need arises, to enable it to respond better to a given situation. For example, while it would normally be fitted with a sensor that can cover up to 60 metres when surveying waters closer to Singapores shores, that sensor could be replaced with a more powerful one if the USV is used further out at sea,Today Online reports
Commander of the Maritime Security Task Force stated the Navy has showed its interest for using unmanned technology in the future.