Turkish shipbuilder and repairer Gisas Gemi Insa Sanayi has taken delivery of the first Lautus surface water cleaning drone from Navtek to remove floating litter in marine environments.
Lautus is a solar-powered unmanned surface unit that collects floating debris on and just below the water surface in marinas, ports, canals, estuaries and other aquatic environments.
It has a lithium-ion battery for emergency power and when there is sufficient daylight for zero emissions and a minimal carbon footprint.
Navtek said Lautus is suitable for removing rubbish along quaysides and other areas that larger service vessels cannot reach.
“Thanks to its innovative flexible modular design, Lautus can also clean different kinds of wastes such as oil spills, sea snots (marine mucilage) and similar algal bloom originated by organic wastes by changing collection module,” said Navtek.
Lautus is controlled via a remote-control station or mobile app, which reduces operational costs.
It can be customised and equipped with different kinds of sensors for water quality monitoring and control.