Saudi Arabia Deploys Drones to Monitor 2,480 km of Coastal Areas for Environmental Protection

Saudi Arabia’s National Center for Environmental Compliance (NCEC) has launched a drone-based initiative to monitor the Kingdom’s vast 2,480-kilometre coastline, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) has reported.

The ambitious programme, undertaken in collaboration with the Marine Operations for Environmental Services, aims to enhance environmental surveillance and protect marine ecosystems along both the Red Sea and Arabian Gulf coasts.

Drones equipped with high-resolution cameras will provide real-time video feeds to control centres, enabling immediate analysis of potentially harmful activities that could endanger marine life and coastal resources. The Red Sea stretch alone spans 1,830 km—from the Gulf of Aqaba in the north to Jazan province in the south—while the Arabian Gulf coastline extends 630 km, from the northern border with Kuwait to the southern edge near Qatar.

Amer Bamoneef, director-general for network monitoring at the NCEC, said the new drone programme represents a leap in environmental enforcement capacity.

“By leveraging advanced technology, we can expand coverage and detect harmful practices more efficiently,” he said. “Drones enable faster response times, allowing our teams to promptly investigate pollution sources and hold violators accountable.”

Each drone in the programme can operate for up to 55 minutes per sortie and cover a distance of 20 kilometres. The data is instantly relayed to the NCEC’s control centres, where it is analysed by experts to determine if further inspection or enforcement is necessary.

The initiative is part of Saudi Arabia’s broader environmental strategy under Vision 2030, which seeks to improve sustainability, reduce pollution, and preserve biodiversity across the Kingdom. With mounting global concern over marine degradation, the use of drones is viewed as a cost-effective and efficient solution to monitor hard-to-reach or expansive coastal regions.

The NCEC has been ramping up its monitoring efforts in recent years, expanding its use of remote sensing and data analysis tools. The new drone programme adds a real-time, mobile element to these capabilities and is expected to significantly improve the centre’s ability to detect oil spills, illegal dumping, or unauthorized industrial activities.

Officials say the drone initiative is just the first phase of a wider rollout of smart environmental surveillance systems planned for other parts of the Kingdom.

The launch comes at a time when coastal and marine conservation is gaining greater prominence globally, with Saudi Arabia positioning itself as a regional leader in environmental protection.