The Narwhal Star USV is a rigid ocean-going inflatable boat (RIB) monitoring platform that can be piloted through a remote ground control system (GCS) or used as a conventional, manually piloted vessel. The USV has been designed to be deployed rapidly from a parent vessel and can be launched using a regular or freight crane.

The past 12 months have seen a resurgence of attacks on commercial shipping, amid a global decline of piracy in recent years. The IMB Piracy Reporting Center reported a 24 percent increase in piracy attacks worldwide in the first three months of 2020 alone.

The western and eastern coasts of Africa are especially influenced by the coastlines around the Indian Ocean, Malaysia and the Philippines.

A long-term research and development project between RIB manufacturer Narwhal and Unmanned Teknologies Application SL (UTEK), a specialist in unmanned control systems, is the result of the technology behind the UPS. Then Star International brought its shipping expertise to bear in the development of the Narwhal Star USV, which includes a specially designed payload for surveillance.

Maritime Business World