Illegal immigration by sea and other offshore criminal activities have made headlines on a regular basis in recent years, fuelling international concern. Until now, border agencies have largely relied on manned patrols to monitor and protect Europe’s shores, and detect immigrants who may be in danger. But this approach is expensive and resources are scarce. Any improvement in capability would be highly desirable in order to minimize the number of lives possibly being put at risk.

In 2008, the European Union agreed to provide a grant to a project aimed at developing a new solution for coastline control: AMASS – the Autonomous Maritime Surveillance System. Developed by Carl Zeiss Optronics in collaboration with nine partners, it uses innovative technology to detect and locate small to midsize vessels. If successful the system would give border surveillance authorities early, accurate warnings, thus enabling them to implement their tasks more effectively.

 

AMASS consists of a network of unmanned platforms located off shore. These platforms are fitted with cutting-edge sensors. Data captured by the sensors is transmitted to a central command centre on land, where it can be viewed on screen. An informed decision can then be made and appropriate action taken – for example, a crew can be dispatched to investigate.