Autonomous Maritime Monitoring for Ports and Trade Routes
WaveShift is developing autonomous surface vessels designed to reduce the cost, manpower, and operational risk of maritime security and port monitoring.
Maritime Monitoring Is Expensive and Inefficient
The Current Approach
Global maritime operators rely on crewed patrol boats, fixed cameras, and shift-based surveillance. These methods are expensive to operate, intermittent, and cannot provide continuous coverage across vast coastal environments.
The Emerging Threat
Asymmetric maritime risks — unmanned vessels, drones, cable interference, and illicit activity — are increasing in frequency. These incidents are cheap to execute but trigger costly operational consequences.
The Real Cost
Even minor incidents cascade: ports slow throughput, ships reroute, emergency responses activate, and insurance premiums spike — often far exceeding traditional patrol costs.
The gap: Oceans are vast, traffic is dense, but current methods don't scale. Operators need affordable, continuous, autonomous awareness — not just reactive response.
Recent examples
Sentinel-ASV: Autonomous Surface Monitoring
What It Is
An autonomous surface vessel purpose-built for persistent maritime monitoring and patrol — no crew required.
How It Works
Operates continuously with visual and thermal sensors. Transmits real-time data to a remote operator for oversight, decision-making, and compliance.
Why It Matters
Delivers continuous coverage at a fraction of traditional patrol boat costs. Focused on monitoring and surveillance for faster development and earlier pilot deployments.
Unmanned Surface Vessel
Fully autonomous operation without onboard crew requirements
Autonomous Navigation
Navigation within defined areas with real-time obstacle avoidance
Day and Night Monitoring
Visual and thermal sensors for continuous monitoring in all conditions
Human-in-the-Loop
Remote operator oversight and intervention capability
Our Business Hypothesis
If port authorities and maritime security operators deploy low-cost autonomous surface vessels for routine monitoring, they can reduce operating costs, increase coverage, and detect threats earlier—lowering disruption risk and overall security expense.
WaveShift will validate this hypothesis through a working prototype and pilot demonstrations.
Building Toward Pilot Deployment
WaveShift is currently in the pre-prototype stage and is preparing to build and validate its first autonomous monitoring vessel.
See the 12-Month Plan