On patrol in the UAE: The boats that sail themselves

???Three unmanned boats, developed by Al Seer Marine for security and civilian operations, will be ready to operate in UAE ports by August. Courtesy Al Seer Marine

ABU DHABI // With their sleek black looks, high-powered engines and cutting-edge technology, there appears to be only one thing missing from the latest vessels set to patrol UAE waters - crews.
The three unmanned boats, developed by Al Seer Marine for security and civilian operations, will be ready to operate in UAE ports by August.
Sea Serpent, Oscar and Bravo are entirely remotely operated.
"The boats are remote controlled through a command and control station, which is on land or a mother ship at sea, and are fitted with some of the most advanced robotics and surveillance equipment," said Matthew Tracy, project manager for the unmanned surface vehicles (USVs) at Al Seer Marine.
"Three or four boats can be controlled and used by two operators at once instead of using between 12 and 16 crew."
Mr Tracy said the Eclipse-class boats would be ready to conduct security and surveillance operations in UAE ports by August.
"They will function as patrol and surveillance boats, through their advanced piloting and surveillance capabilities and act as an advanced monitoring platform due to their high speed and rapid deployment capability."
Sea Serpent is a three-metre, 320-kilogram vessel about the size of a large jet ski. It has a maximum speed of 50 knots and operates on one petrol engine.
"The Sea Serpent was developed nine months ago and is ready for the market," Mr Tracy said.
The vessel is used for security around VIP yachts, Mr Tracy said. But they were also designed for harbour surveillance and port security.
"They can potentially patrol Abu Dhabi Island and run up and down the Corniche supplementing coastguard patrols," he said.
Oscar is still under final development. The 11-metre, 6500kg boat runs on two 500-horse power diesel engines with water jet propulsion and can reach a top speed of 49 knots. Oscar also possesses a hybrid electric and diesel engine that gives it an extra 50 per cent operational range.
It can be used for security patrols and is equipped with computers, sensors and software to detect and pre-process data of critical importance
"The vessel uses a 12-metre telescopic mast that gives it a range of 12 to 14 kilometres from an onshore command station," Mr Tracy said.
"However, depending on the technology it is fitted with, such as satellite communications, it can be controlled from anywhere in the world."
Bravo, the third boat in the fleet, is a rigid inflatable boat (Rib). The Finnish-built Boomeranger has been fitted with the robotics and technology to operate as a remote and a piloted boat. "The Rib is fitted and designed in-house in Abu Dhabi and currently is at the tail end of the sea trials," Mr Tracy said.
He said Ribs were the preferred boats for security operations because of their agility and smoothness on water.
Apart from security companies, VIPs and ports, Al Seer Marine has seen strong interest from companies managing oil platforms across the world.
"We have been approached by two serious potential customers who want to utilise this Abu Dhabi-built technology to secure their unmanned oil platforms," he said.
Mr Tracy said a typical patrol operation had three to four crew members who used a large amount of fuel and energy to patrol for a limited time.
"We have designed a system to perform mid-sea refuelling for the vessels, which will serve security operations around oil platforms very well," he said.
"USVs can potentially continuously patrol their locations and only come to shore for maintenance once every few weeks."
"The price can radically change from spec to spec," Mr Tracy said.
"We also offer a bespoke service so what ever requirement is needed by the client can be accommodated, for instance, with firefighting capabilities, search and rescue, and so on.".

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