As the UK government and other organisations face ever-greater threats to our borders, the limitations of traditional security measures are increasingly clear. Organised crime syndicates are probing for weaknesses, looking for new ways to smuggle people, drugs, weapons, and even trafficked wildlife into the UK.
Illegal boat crossings dominate the headlines and have become a daily occurrence, and alongside these issues are growing concerns over overfishing, piracy, and the possibility of state-sponsored terrorism targeting critical maritime infrastructure.
Traditional methods of surveillance such as manned boats, helicopters, and aircraft, are no longer enough.
A new age in border control
Paul Lincoln, former UK Border Force Director General, envisions technology as the backbone of future border security. In 2021, he highlighted the urgent need for government-industry collaboration to enhance information flow at control points, especially given the UK’s enormous port activity.
The UK port industry handles nearly 500 million tonnes of freight and more than 60 million passenger journeys each year. The sheer weight of this volume makes it impossible to monitor every shipment or traveller without introducing more innovative solutions.
Consider this: in 2020 alone, more than 15,000 firearms and 23,000kg of Class A and B drugs were intercepted at the UK’s borders. Criminal networks are becoming more sophisticated, constantly looking for new ways to evade detection, and if we don’t keep pace, we risk losing control of our maritime borders.
Underlining the priority of managing effective border security in the country, the UK Government’s 2025 UK Border Strategy sets out a vision for the nation’s border to be the “most effective in the world“. It promises a six-part strategy that includes amongst its objectives to establish resilient ‘ports of the future’ at border crossing points to make the experience smoother and more secure for passengers and traders.
Finally, there is the geopolitics of hostile nation states testing or interrupting critical national infrastructure, from data cables supplying the internet and telephony to oil and gas pipelines.
Enter the USV
Uncrewed Surface Vessels – or USVs – represent a transformative solution for maritime border control. Equipped with advanced cameras, radar, sonar, and infrared sensors, these vessels autonomously patrol vast ocean areas.