France has become the latest European country to trial a sniffer drone in an effort to tighten controls over ship emissions in French waters.

The aircraft, which is being made available by the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA), has been deployed in the strait of Pas-de-Calais, one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes.

Operations, which began last week, will last for three months with flights taking off from the Regional Surveillance and Rescue Operational Centre (CROSS) Gris-Nez, which will serve as logistical base and will coordinate the follow-up of the flights.