Superyachts protected from dangers on the high seas thanks to advanced technology

Yacht security consultant Ed Hill has just finished installing a citadel deep within a client's superyacht. A citadel is the nautical equivalent of a panic room to retreat to if personal safety is under threat. A bit extreme? In this day and age, not necessarily.

As managing director of Intrepid Risk Management, Hill counts Russian oligarchs, British businessmen and A-list celebrities among his clients. These high-net-worth yacht owners come to him looking for safety and privacy on board their floating palaces. The citadel, for example, is sited "with access to the yacht's controls and satellite communications, and fitted with strong bolstered doors and ballistic protection on the surrounding walls", according to Hill.

Individuals are taking their yachts to ever more dangerous and far-flung places from remote islands in the Pacific to the chilly waters of the Arctic. Developments in technology, including improved satellite communications, allow them to go further and for longer while remaining connected.

This new breed of adventurer will not compromise on security. According to industry expert Harley O'Neill, owner of SuperyachtME, defence and security accounts for as much as a quarter of the construction cost of a superyacht and 30 per cent of daily running costs. Keeping the world's rich and famous safe on the high seas has become a billion-dollar industry.

An American owner of an 85-metre vessel, located in South America, who wishes to remain anonymous, tells us that his security concerns are two-fold. "A yacht is not a toy, it's an asset in my portfolio. Besides that, I need to know the security and privacy of myself and my family is guaranteed so that I can feel comfortable on board," he says.

Risks to superyacht owners include theft and burglary, being photographed by paparazzi, personal attacks and abduction, and even being attacked by pirates. Developing technology has changed the nature of these threats. A vessel's sophisticated central computer system is at risk of cyber attacks from hackers. Privacy is also under threat from remote-controlled drones in the sky and submersibles under the water. These evolving threats have compelled yacht owners to install cutting-edge military-grade technology. "Using infrared thermal imaging cameras, short range radar and diver detecting sonar, we now have the ability to create a 'virtual bubble' around the vessel, ensuring that any target, surface, airborne or underwater will be automatically identified and tracked day or night," O'Neill says.

Small one-, two- or three-man submersibles such as the Ortega are used to patrol the yacht's vicinity and can be launched from the hull of the boat without the need for cranes or winches. Also in development is Lifepod, an escape-pod that can be deployed directly from the side of a yacht in a matter of seconds.