Saudi Arabia Deploys Drones To Monitor Coastal Lines And Protect Marine Resources

LAUNCH of Saudi Arabia's surveillance program. (Source: SPA)

JAKARTA - Saudi Arabia's National Center for Environmental Compliance (NCEC) launched a drone-based program to monitor coastal areas of the Kingdom as long as 2,480 km last month, the government media reported.

NCEC will carry out this initiative in collaboration with the Marine Operations organization for Environmental Services.

Drones will provide live video feeds for real-time analysis, to help detect activity that threatens marine resources, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.

Saudi Arabia's Red Sea coastline in the west stretches from Aqaba Bay in the north to Jazan Province in the south, along 1,830 km.

On the west, its coastline is 630 km, stretching from the northern border with Kuwait to the southern border with Qatar.

Director General of Network Monitoring at NCEC Amer Bamoneef said each drone will operate up to 55 minutes per attack, covering a distance of 20 km, with data sent directly to the control room.

"By utilizing advanced technology, we can expand coverage and detect dangerous practices more efficiently," he said.

Bamoneef added that drones allow for a faster response, so the team can immediately investigate the source of pollution and identify the party responsible.