New Autonomous Fleet Launched to Track China’s Ghost Ships
A new fleet of autonomous boats, supported by the US Navy, has been deployed off California’s coast to locate China’s elusive ghost ships.
Developed by the San Diego-based startup Seasats, these boats can carry out intelligence, reconnaissance, and surveillance tasks at sea without any human crew on board.
The vessel, named Lightfish, is 12 feet long and designed to transmit the coordinates of the ghost fleet, monitor weather conditions, send signals to submarines, and identify smugglers and illegal fishing activities.
“We did a demo and the Navy was interested, so they decided to buy it,” remarked Matt Flannigan, CEO and co-founder of SeaSats.
These ships can operate from offshore locations, receiving acoustic messages from underwater, converting them into radio signals, and relaying them to satellites before sending the information back to onshore operators.
Seasats has attracted $40 million from investors along with $100 million in defense contracts. One of their vessels previously encountered multiple Chinese warships within Taiwan’s exclusive economic zone, although those ships did not identify themselves using automatic identification systems.
“Lightfish managed to track these vessels and capture images that confirmed their type and origin,” the company stated. This operation marked the first autonomous navigation of the Taiwan Strait, a contested area between Taiwan and the mainland China.
The firm highlights the importance of the ship’s ability to conduct covert reconnaissance, something that traditional land-based radar systems struggle to achieve.
“In an era where satellites and sensors are everywhere, it might surprise some that a ship can remain hidden in the ocean,” said Declan Kerwin, chief of staff at SeaSats. “That’s why these long-range autonomous vessels are appealing—they provide maritime awareness in areas where land-based radar can’t operate.”
Flannigan noted that radio-based shore systems can’t penetrate underwater. “Submarines, divers, and underwater robots can’t communicate with the internet, so they need to put something on the ocean’s surface,” he added.
Seasats plans to open its new headquarters in San Diego this August, which will span over 61,000 square feet and accommodate around 70 employees across two buildings.
The Navy is collaborating with SeaSat in light of escalating tensions between Taiwan and China. The company is, as they state, “actively engaging with Taiwan and allied forces across the Indo-Pacific to enhance maritime domain awareness in critical areas.”
