Berlin firm Stark Defence plans armed uncrewed boat to monitor shadow fleet

The Berlin defence company Stark Defence is developing an uncrewed ship called Vanta 24, Berliner Zeitung reports, citing Bloomberg and the company's own statements. The 24-metre vessel is due to enter the water next year and is meant to protect undersea cables. Russia uses so-called shadow fleet tankers to get around Western sanctions and the oil price cap, and to keep part of its oil and LNG exports going.

According to a company spokeswoman, the planned weapons include anti-ship missiles and the loitering munition Cascade, drones that can circle over an area before an attack. She stressed that humans always decide on the use of weapons. Stark describes the boat as a modular platform that can carry different sensors and weapons depending on the mission. The sensors can monitor suspicious tankers, while the missiles would be for military use against enemy ships. The firm says the boat should help secure sea routes, undersea infrastructure and access to the Baltic Sea, and that it is meant to complement crewed units, not replace them. Stark names no concrete order to monitor Russian tankers.

Bloomberg says the boat could carry up to 50 tonnes and exceed 64 kilometres per hour, with development in Germany and Britain. Stark gave no prices. It is unclear whether German authorities are interested; the Federal Ministry of the Interior would not comment on possible talks. An expert from the environmental group Urgewald said ships can generally be identified well. He sees the main problems in missing sanctions, under-resourced enforcement agencies and a lack of political will.