Page 96 - ΝΑΥΤΙΚΑ ΧΡΟΝΙΚΑ - ΣΕΠΤΕΜΒΡΙΟΣ 2022

shop, find your way to your next meet- nals and the Copernicus Marine Service.
ing, or look at satellite images of your Secondly, there is a ship weather routing
next vacation destination, is an optional application based on Copernicus data
gadget for the happy few. It is mainstream that optimises and qualifies forecasts.
normality for all. Thirdly, we see users becoming more It is abundantly
But there are many more such applications. demanding regarding safe, secure, and evident that
Space is pushing the boundaries of inno- resilient maritime operations. With the the combined
vation in Europe, and EU space technolo- Search and Rescue (SAR) Galileo Service, strengths of our
gies are used in a wide array of applica- the maritime community can benefit by Space Programme’s
tions in various markets. reducing the delays in locating a distress components can meet
How are space-based technologies linked beacon from up to 4 hours to less than user needs and poli-
with maritime activities? 10 minutes, which allows faster and safer cies related to all
The answer is through numerous applica- rescue times. sectors of a sustai-
tions that assist a diverse pool of stake- The Return Link Service (RLS), a unique nable blue economy.
holders - vessel operators, recreational feature that sends an automatic acknowl-
boaters, port authorities, etc. - in their edgement to people in distress, con-
day-to-day operations and activities. firms that their signal has been picked
Like every other sector, the maritime up and located by the rescue services.
industry is sailing toward a greener, more This impressive service is also part of
autonomous, digital future. our answer to the principal maritime
Let me give some concrete examples of community demand for increased safety
how the European space services are and security.
used in the shipping sector: Furthermore, the maritime community
Firstly, the shipping sector today is facing will benefit from the future space-based
the risks of increasing port congestion, secure connectivity system offering global
shortened shipping times, and increasing coverage, low latency, and cryptography.
speeds for container movements, which Maritime surveillance and control, emer-
puts pressure on ships to transport and gencies at sea, and the protection of
return containers as quickly as possible sensitive marine infrastructure as part of
and, at the same time, be more fuel effi- crisis management will be the defining
cient. Therefore, optimising the shipping areas that will enable governmental and
routes’ speed and efficiency is critical. commercial actors to be effective, effi-
And this can be achieved thanks to sat- cient and resilient.
ellite navigation combined with Earth Automation and IoT will also enable
observation. Concretely, a functional, means of transportation to become
robust, and accurate navigation solution driverless: Remotely piloted ships are
called” ‘Prepare Ships” has been devel- expected to appear between 2025 and
oped based on the features of Galileo sig- 2030 and generate a growing demand

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