The latest Controlled Technology frontier, will be now one step closer to becoming a reality in Europe, revolutionizing coastal, inshore and offshore monitoring activities. Tomorrow, at 3.10 p.m., at the Old Fortress, a drone, christened Sentinel II, capable of flying autonomously on a programmed mission, will be put on an experimental flight from Livorno to Capraia island.
Scovavento, a company specialized in video-making, will simulate the delivery of a medal using a drone over a distance of 37 miles (68 km). It will be taking off from Livorno’s Old Fortress and landing an hour later on Capraia island, where the Mayor, Lorenzo Renzi, will be waiting for the medal to be delivered directly into his hands.
The aim of the experimental crossing is to demonstrate not only the reliability of drones in delivering small objects over long distances, but also their usefulness in monitoring, controlling, and protecting the Tuscan archipelago coastline and its ports.
A ceremony is being organized in the Old Fortress for the occasion, attended by representatives from top public authorities. Attendees will include, among others, Port Network Authority president, Luciano Guerrieri, and managing director Matteo Paroli, Livorno’s mayor, Luca Salvetti, Livorno Harbour Master, Admiral Gaetano Angora; Naval Commander Paolo Pisano (in charge of the operation); Revenue Corps Commander, Cesare Antuofermo; the Commander of Livorno Naval Aviation Operations Division, Nicola Navarra; and Scovavento designer, Ivan Senegaglia.
The crossing will be followed live on a giant screen in the Old Fortress. It will be carried out thanks to the support of the Ship Information Service, whose task will be to inform vessel traffic and pleasure craft in the area via VHF, and Livorno harbour pilots, who will assist the Revenue Corps during take-off operations, in order to prevent any ships or boats from crossing the drone’s path.
This is not the first time that using drones for offshore crossings has been experimented in Livorno. In 2021, in fact, Scovavento, sponsored by the Port Network Authority, took a small medical package from Livorno to Gorgona, using the Sentinel I drone, an octocopter designed for short-distance operations.
Translation by Giles Foster
