The use of varied Maritime Autonomous Vehicles (MAVs) for border surveillance purposes has increasing implications for international laws related to maritime security. The focus of this article is on the deployment of aerial MAVs (drones) over the Mediterranean to detect and monitor the movement of migrants from northern Africa into Europe. It examines how laws relating to search and rescue, migrant smuggling and human rights might be interpreted and applied when drones are being used in relation to migration by sea. It is argued that while some aspects of drone usage fit within existing international law obligations, their potential to assist in saving lives at sea may not be at the expense of human rights violations.

为边境监视目的使用各种海上自动驾驶汽车对与海上安全有关的国际法律的影响越来越大。本文的重点是在地中海上部署空中MAV（无人机），以检测和监视从北部非洲到欧洲的移民流动。它研究了在将无人机用于海上移民时，如何解释和适用与搜救，移民走私和人权有关的法律。有人认为，尽管使用无人机的某些方面符合现行的国际法义务，但其协助挽救海上生命的潜力可能不会以侵犯人权为代价。