According to Commander of the Estonian Navy commodore Jüri Saska, Ukraine is the only country with real experience of using attack drones at sea.

"They have come up with a concept that seems to be working. Proof of this is that the Black Sea Fleet has essentially moved out of Sevastopol and does not operate much in the area," he said.

Saska said that in the future, unmanned and manned vessels will complement each other in the Baltic Sea.

Baltic Workboats, an Estonian shipbuilding company, is leading an international consortium to build a prototype sea-drone for Europe. The result will show how many tasks can be given to an artificial sail.

However, it is not clear how maritime unmanned vehicles, or "maritime drones," are governed by the Law of the Sea and whether they are effectively regulated at all. According to maritime law specialist Aleksander Lott, the use of unmanned naval vessels is a gray area.

"The Convention on the Law of the Sea says that the master and a suitably qualified crew must be in charge of a warship," Aleksander Lott said. "But what, or who, is a 'master' is all undefined. Does the captain have to be physically on board the ship, or can the captain sit in an armchair, steering the ship like in a computer game?"

Lott said countries are more likely to adapt to the opportunities presented by new technologies, and that will encourage the use of unmanned maritime vehicles.

"These ships are subject to rights of way. Just as they apply to all other ships in peacetime and in wartime," Lott said. "If an unmanned ship is able to navigate in the maritime environment, it is a ship in maritime law and is subject to maritime rights of way."

--

Follow ERR News on Facebook and Twitter and never miss an update!