Surplus fishing nets from the Port of Trelleborg’s fishing quay will soon make a difference hundreds of kilometres away. They have now been sent to Ukraine, where they will be used as protection against Russian attack drones.
As part of a clean-up of the quay area, local fishermen are donating 13.5 tonnes of old fishing nets to the volunteer organisation OperationChange Sweden, which is transporting them to Ukraine for use as protection against Russian attack drones.
Instead of being discarded, the nets will now serve a meaningful purpose where they are needed most.
“When we saw the opportunity to donate the nets instead of throwing them away, the decision was obvious. It feels very good that material no longer used in the port can be given a new purpose while also helping to protect people in Ukraine,” says Giacomo La Cerva, Maintenance Manager at the Port of Trelleborg and the initiator of the idea.
In Ukraine, old fishing nets are increasingly being used as a simple but effective defence against so-called FPV drones and other attack drones. The nets are stretched over roads, trenches, vehicles and other critical infrastructure. If a drone flies into a net, its propellers may become entangled or the drone may detonate before reaching its target, reducing the risk of damage to people and equipment.
For the Port of Trelleborg, the donation means that fishing nets that would otherwise have become waste are given a new life and put to practical use in war-affected Ukraine.
“The demand for fishing nets in Ukraine is significant. They have become an important means of protection against drone attacks, and every delivery makes a difference for the people and the units that use them,” says Rolf Ramestam, volunteer at OperationChange Sweden.
