The commander of the Estonian Navy, Commodore Juri Saska, noted that "
Ukraine is the only country that has real experience in using attack drones at sea. [The Ukrainians] have come up with a concept that seems to be working. The proof is that the (Russian) Black Sea Fleet has basically left Sevastopol," he stated.
Saska stressed that in the future unmanned and manned ships will complement each other in the Baltic Sea.
Estonian shipbuilding company Baltic Workboats is leading an international consortium to build a prototype naval drone for the armies of European countries.
However, it is not clear how naval drones are subject to the law of the sea and whether their use is regulated. According to maritime law specialist Alexander Lott, the use of unmanned warships is a "gray area."
"The Law of the Sea Convention says that a warship must be managed by a captain and a suitably qualified crew," Lott told ERR TV. "But what or who the ‘captain’ is - is not clear. Does the captain have to be physically on board the ship, or can he sit in a chair and steer the ship like in a computer game?" he queried.
