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Emission monitoring

Nordic Unmanned provides drones for measuring maritime emissions and ensuring compliance with IMO regulations on air pollution from ships.

The major issue facing the maritime business

Most ships run on fuel oil, which causes significant emissions of sulphur oxides (SOx) and nitrogen oxides (NOx). These emissions cause air pollution, acid rain, ocean acidification and eutrofication as well as respiratory and other diseases in humans, making the shipping industry a considerable contributor to air quality problems on a global scale. One study suggests that left unchecked, sulphur emissions from shipping could play a part in 570 000 premature deaths worldwide by 2025.

The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has taken ambitious steps to limit the negative air quality impact from shipping via the MARPOL Annex IV convention which regulates the types of fuels ships are allowed to burn as well as other air pollution factors such as NOx emissions. This has created a need for efficient and reliable methods of monitoring maritime emissions at sea.

How do we work?

The drones are equipped with sniffer sensors that detect and measure levels of SO2, CO2, NO2 and NO in the ship exhaust. This allows for remote assessment of a ship’s fuel composition as well as other emittants stemming from engine combustion. If measurements are above the stipulated limit, the ship’s port of call gets a notification to proceed with further fuel sampling or other inspection measures.

Pollution Patrolling Drones

Emission monitoring drones deployed in Lithuania

How can we be of assistance?

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