Maritime patrol or maritime reconnaissance is the task of monitoring areas of water. Generally conducted by

military A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. Militaries are typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with their members identifiable by a d ...

and

law enforcement agencies A law enforcement agency (LEA) is any government agency responsible for law enforcement within a specific jurisdiction through the employment and deployment of law enforcement officers and their resources. The most common type of law enforcement ...

, maritime patrol is usually aimed at identifying human activities. Maritime patrol refers to active patrol of an area, as opposed to passive monitoring systems such as sound-detection fixtures or land-based spotters. A patrol consists of a ship, submarine, aircraft or satellite examining the patrolled area and seeking out activities to be identified and reported. Maritime patrol is critical in wartime situations for

navies A navy, naval force, military maritime fleet, war navy, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operation ...

to locate enemy forces to engage or defend against. Peacetime patrols are important for interdiction of criminal activities and for ensuring legal use of waters. Maritime patrols can be conducted by surface

ship A ship is a large watercraft, vessel that travels the world's oceans and other Waterway, navigable waterways, carrying cargo or passengers, or in support of specialized missions, such as defense, research and fishing. Ships are generally disti ...

s and

submarine A submarine (often shortened to sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. (It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability.) The term "submarine" is also sometimes used historically or infor ...

s, by

aircraft An aircraft ( aircraft) is a vehicle that is able to flight, fly by gaining support from the Atmosphere of Earth, air. It counters the force of gravity by using either Buoyancy, static lift or the Lift (force), dynamic lift of an airfoil, or, i ...

(e.g.

MPA MPA or mPa may refer to: Academia Academic degrees * Master of Performing Arts * Master of Professional Accountancy * Master of Public Administration * Master of Public Affairs Schools * Mesa Preparatory Academy * Morgan Park Academy * M ...

) and other aerial vehicles, and even by

satellite A satellite or an artificial satellite is an object, typically a spacecraft, placed into orbit around a celestial body. They have a variety of uses, including communication relay, weather forecasting, navigation ( GPS), broadcasting, scient ...

s. Human spotting remains an important part of detecting activity, but increasingly electronic systems are used.

Type

* Military: Navies and air forces employ patrols to locate and identify enemy or potential enemy ships and submarines. The patrols report these findings to combat vessels which can then take appropriate action. Characteristics to identify are the numbers and types of vessels, as well as bearing and speed information to assist tracking the units. Anti-submarine patrols often deploy

sonobuoy A sonobuoy (a portmanteau of sonar and buoy) is a small expendable sonar buoy dropped from aircraft or ships for anti-submarine warfare or underwater acoustic research. Sonobuoys are typically around in diameter and long. When floating on t ...

s or other devices to assist with tracking. During peacetime, patrols are maintained by military forces for practice and to prevent surprise deployments by enemies. * Law enforcement: Countries with extensive coastlines are vulnerable to those entering or exiting the country undetected. In particular

smuggling Smuggling is the illegal transportation of objects, substances, information or people, such as out of a house or buildings, into a prison, or across an international border, in violation of applicable laws or other regulations. More broadly, soc ...

is often carried out over water. Law enforcement agencies often employ maritime patrols to assist interception of such activities. * Economic: Water areas, in particular those close to the coast, are areas of economic activity. Not only

shipping Freight transport, also referred to as freight forwarding, is the physical process of transporting commodities and merchandise goods and cargo. The term shipping originally referred to transport by sea but in American English, it has been ...

but also

fishing Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment (Freshwater ecosystem, freshwater or Marine ecosystem, marine), but may also be caught from Fish stocking, stocked Body of water, ...

and even

tourism Tourism is travel for pleasure, and the Commerce, commercial activity of providing and supporting such travel. World Tourism Organization, UN Tourism defines tourism more generally, in terms which go "beyond the common perception of tourism as ...

are important economic activities to coastal countries. Patrolling these waters falls to maritime patrols. Such patrols may seek fishing vessels which are outside of prescribed fishing grounds (often from neighboring countries' fleets) or which are not adhering to regulations. Additionally, patrols may assist customs agencies by monitoring commercial shipping traffic in controlled waters. * Coast defence: Coast defence identifies and intercepts threats to coastal areas. This may include preventing infiltrations or discouraging enemy surveillance of coastal installations. Law enforcement patrols aim at preventing criminals from reaching the shoreline. * Rescue: Although it is not necessarily a primary mission of maritime patrol assets, they are often used to assist in maritime rescue operations, both for searching and often to extract survivors too.

References

{{reflist Naval warfare Fisheries protection