Denmark deploys marine drones in Baltic and North Seas

Part of NATO mission and ongoing trials

Two other drones were launched last week as part of NATO’s Task Force X mission. The newly deployed vessels will undergo a three-month testing period by the Danish Navy.

“These unmanned ships are on surveillance missions,” said Kim Jorgensen, Danish National Armaments Director. “They will do it in the Baltic, they will do it in the North Sea, and they will do it in other Danish internal waters.”

He noted the challenges posed by Denmark’s busy waterways and expressed interest in how unmanned vessels will perform under such conditions.

Strategic importance of the Baltic Sea

The Baltic Sea, accessible only through the Danish straits, handles over 8% of global maritime traffic, according to France’s ISEMAR institute of maritime economics. Since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, tensions in the region have increased, with several undersea cables damaged last year—acts many experts consider part of a broader "hybrid war" waged by Russia.

Advanced capabilities of Saildrone Voyagers

The unmanned vessels, known as Voyagers, are 10 meters (33 feet) long and can autonomously navigate for up to three months. They are equipped with sensors capable of scanning to depths of 300 meters.

Manufactured and operated by Saildrone, a company that also works with the U.S. Navy, these vessels are designed to significantly improve maritime domain awareness.

Addressing underwater threats and illicit activities

“These vehicles are set up to deliver maritime domain awareness—your eyes and ears above and below the surface,” said Richard Jenkins, founder and CEO of Saildrone. “They allow us to see things we previously had no insight into.”

Jenkins emphasized the importance of monitoring the ocean for illegal activities such as human, weapons, and drug smuggling, as well as damage to undersea infrastructure and illegal fishing. “We can’t currently monitor all this effectively due to a shortage of manned ships,” he added.