Singapore: Unmanned Vessel Tested in Security Operation

Over 900 participants from 15 agencies including the Singapore armed forces, police, customs and port authorities took part in a maritime security exercise using an unmanned vessel in Singapore this week.

Exercise Highcrest 2015 involved the interception of a “hijacked” merchant vessel and a small-boat terrorist attack. During the exercise, which was organized by the Singapore Maritime Crisis Centre, the unmanned vessel Venus 16 was used to chase suspicious vessels and keep their occupants preoccupied until the Police Coast Guard’s high-speed interceptor boats arrived.

The Venus 16 is one of the unmanned systems currently being tested by the Singapore Navy to support maritime security operations. Designed and built locally by Singapore Technologies Electronics, the Venus 16 can be configured into various roles such as the conduct of patrols as part of the Navy’s layered coastal defense or to support mine countermeasure in conducting underwater scans of the seabed, while significantly improving manpower efficiency and reducing the exposure to risk for sailors.

Technical Specifications

Length: 16m
Beam: 5m
Weight: 22 tons
Cruising Speed: 25 knots
Max Speed: 40 Knots
Endurance: > 36 hours