Interview with Vasileios Mpikakis, Harbour Master at Elefsis Port Authority
In this interview, Vasileios Mpikakis, Harbour Master at Elefsis Port Authority, shares insights from his involvement in the SMAUG pilot use case, highlighting both the operational benefits and the challenges associated with integrating new technologies into maritime surveillance and security.
“As the geopolitical situation in the wider Eastern Mediterranean evolves, with the development of military operations in the Middle East, the asymmetric threats that will arise, the sensitive facilities – refineries that may be potential targets, the migratory flows, all of these together create security challenges.
The SMAUG project is being developed at exactly the right time to support the timely identification of the above threats in the European maritime domain.
As we all saw today in Eleusis, the SMAUG project has all the features for detecting imminent threats from the air, sea and underwater, enabling the user to take all appropriate measures in a timely manner and then confront and neutralise them.
This contributes to the ultimate goal of human life safety, which is currently at stake.
I hope that its development and installation in ports, marinas and sensitive facilities will progress.
Congratulations to all participants.”
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