Katran Drones May Be Used to Detain Russian Vessels in the Black Sea

MAC HUB is preparing its Katran family of naval drones for a new type of mission: detaining and confiscating commercial vessels belonging to Russia's shadow fleet that transport sanctioned goods across the Black Sea.

The Katran project continues to evolve. A year ago, Ukraine's Minister of Defense, Mykhailo Fedorov (who was serving as Minister of Digital Transformation at the time), described the unmanned surface vessels (USVs) as "secret drones capable of destroying targets at sea, on land, and in the air." Such capabilities are suitable not only for striking enemy targets, although most operations involving Katran drones remain classified, but also for controlling virtually any maritime area.

According to estimates by various international organizations, more than 80% of global trade is transported by sea. Monitoring these shipping routes is extremely challenging because of their vast scale, creating long-standing opportunities for smuggling, the operation of shadow fleets, and fraud on multiple levels.

The primary tools for combating shadow fleets remain sanctions, vessel seizures, and restrictions on port access. However, these measures do not produce immediate results and often leave room for sanctions evasion. At the same time, the use of force does occur, particularly in regions affected by armed conflict.

"The first approach simply doesn't provide the level of effectiveness needed here and now. I won't spend much time explaining why – anyone can read the news and see how shadow fleet vessels have been evading sanctions for years. As for the second approach, we Ukrainians consider it inhumane. Around the world, we're known as wonderful hosts and very hardworking people, and that's true. Grain is not to blame for being stolen – it shouldn't end up on the seabed. It represents people's hard work. Oil, meanwhile, should not be spilled and burned, polluting the water. That's why we are proposing our innovative solution: what we call maritime route patrols", says one of the engineers working on the project.

The concept was explained in greater detail by Ninth, the curator of the Katran project and commander of the Chornomorskyi Legion naval unit, which is part of FERRATA, an active operations unit of Ukraine's Defense Intelligence (HUR). In a recent interview with Business Insider, he said that the special operations team, together with MAC HUB, is "developing a genuinely new system" for these missions.

"Its purpose is not to destroy oil tankers or bulk carriers transporting sanctioned goods. The idea is to detain them and tow them to port", Ninth explains.

Under the proposed concept, vessels would first receive a detention order and would then be required to proceed to a designated port under the escort of the Katran naval drone system. The drones are capable of simultaneously monitoring the vessel, activity on deck, the airspace above it, and the surrounding waters, making resistance extremely difficult.

"If you encounter such a system, it means you have been detained. Proceed calmly to the designated port. Everyone will remain safe. The vessel and its cargo will be confiscated in accordance with international law", he says

Should a crew ignore the order or attempt to resist, Katran drones would be capable of sinking the vessel within minutes. However, this would always be considered a measure of last resort.

"Ultimately, our concept could make global shipping routes more transparent and secure. Of course, this won't happen overnight, but the problem of shadow shipping has long since expanded beyond individual states and become a challenge for the global maritime industry. Once MAC HUB's solution proves its effectiveness, it could become an important step toward improving the transparency of international shipping while reducing opportunities for smuggling and sanctions evasion", says one of the engineers involved in the project.