In the maritime industry, drones have found their place to provide an important function in the areas of deliveries, inspections of ships, and safeguarding national security. However, on the flip side, there can also be risks of casualties and damages wrought by maritime drones.
As such, with the risks and potential that maritime drones can be abused for their sophistication, stringent regulations need to be in place and put into practice should the occasion arise. Against this backdrop, in an interview with Maritime Fairtrade, Tan Kah Han, CTO and senior director (Unmanned Systems Group) at the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS), discussed the considerations of drone deployment and advancement for the maritime sector from the perspective of regulators.
Tan Kah Han, CTO and senior director (Unmanned Systems Group), Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore. Photo credit: Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore
Tan said: “CAAS supports and facilitates safe and beneficial use of unmanned aircraft (UA) to enhance the way we work, live and play.” In the maritime sector, Tan identified the benefits of UA technologies in bolstering surveillance and response capabilities by revolutionizing traditional operations, such as pollution detection and incident management. One outstanding benefit, he continued, was the “scaling up of drone usage in shore-ship deliveries and remote ship inspections will also increase industry productivity while improving safety.”
At CAAS, Tan shared that it has established a UA regulatory framework that facilitates operations, while ensuring public and aviation safety, and security. “Our regulatory framework is risk-based, where regulatory requirements are tailored to the identified risks.” The framework takes into consideration “air, ground and security risks in the context of Singapore’s dense urban landscape and airspace environment.” Besides that, in the maritime environment, both air (e.g., impact to manned aircraft operations) and ground risks (e.g., potential damage to other ships and injury to people on board) are also assessed, he added.
As UA technology advances, one of the key safety concerns is around the ‘fly-away’ scenario, where the pilot loses control of the UA. In such a scenario, Tan said that the UA can fly anywhere and may pose a safety risk to manned aircrafts flying into and out of aerodromes, including those flying over waters in Singapore as well as in general public. In some situations, the UA may also fly across borders to another country.
“Therefore, it is important that UA operators fly their UA safely and responsibly. They need to ensure the airworthiness of the UA, the competency of the pilot flying the UA, the capability of the organization to operate the UA safely, and the area or environment where the UA operations can be conducted,” he emphasized. Depending on the nature of incidents, should operators be found to have violated the regulatory requirements, they may be subject to penalties that include fines and jail term, depending on the severity of the offence.
“Overall, the regulatory framework allows us to reap the benefits of the use of UA in the maritime sector, while ensuring safety by managing and mitigating the attendant risks,” said Tan.
Photo credit: iStock/ metamorworks
